


Magic and Mischief

by Sincerely_Sierra



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: Comedy, Domestic, Domestic Coven, Drama, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lighthearted, Magic, Motherly Cordelia, Witches, family elements, spells
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2020-01-13 18:30:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18474637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sincerely_Sierra/pseuds/Sincerely_Sierra
Summary: The coven attempts to live an average everyday life with Cordelia as their only motherly figure around to love and guide them through the trials of magic and womanhood. This lighthearted series depicts the day-to-day antics and mishaps the coven faces, and how Cordelia manages to pick her little witches up every time they slip off her broom.





	1. Rain

Rainy days like this remind Cordelia that allowing Zoe and Madison to have a TV in their bedroom was her best investment yet. Despite the worry she had that it would distract them from their daily chores, Cordelia has settled into the realization that it placates the truculent movie star and entertains the black widow. It keeps them tranquil, for the most part.

 

With this newfound serenity, Cordelia busies herself with other things around the house. Class in the greenhouse was canceled because of the storm causing a minor flood to take place in the trench behind it, and because none of the witches wanted to get all muddy and wet, so the Supreme finds herself stranded with an extra hour to work with and nothing to pass the time.

 

She’s not much of a cleaning person. They don’t have any sort of help anymore; instead, the girls pitch in to maintain order and cleanliness each day. But today, the house is exceptionally messy. Since classes were countermanded for most of the day, the witches chose to find their own things to do, like make ice cream sundaes and leave the remnants on the counter for Cordelia to find. Or build a blanket fort and abandon said blankets in the den once the fun wears off.

 

Folding yet another blanket, Cordelia keeps an eye on Misty through the foggy window. The Cajun witch is tending to the greenery, though it’s pouring, and Cordelia is quite literally afraid she may get swallowed up by the water pooling around her polka-dotted rain boots. She seems mostly unbothered, and Cordelia is slightly relieved that Misty is a grown woman and she doesn’t need to watch over her like a babysitter, but then she notices a smaller figure jumping through the puddles with Misty.

 

Piper is a newcomer to the coven, but she’s more daring than the rest. At only thirteen years old, she’s feisty in every way. And by “feisty”, Cordelia means “disobedient” and “manipulative”. With a bat of her bright green eyes, Piper can make anyone do anything she desires. She must’ve given Misty the puppy eyes to convince her to let her go outside in the storm with her. And that pisses Cordelia off.

 

The supreme should go out there and drag that little girl inside by her pigtails, but she doesn’t. She figures she’s Misty’s responsibility now, so she folds the last blanket and gathers the huge stack into her arms before teetering with it upstairs to their spare closet, where she stores them away. On the way back, she passes Zoe and Madison’s ajar door, catching a glimpse of Nightmare on Elm Street playing on their small TV stood on their cheap stand.

 

“Do you ever wonder if you can die in your dreams? Like, actually die?” Zoe questions. “What if we take a nap and get killed in our dreams but actually die?”

 

“Zoe, that’s so stupid,” Madison scoffs. “You can’t die because of a dream. It’s not real. Besides, the only real nightmare is the one we’re living. Cordelia is our Freddy Krueger.”

 

Cordelia’s face twists into an expression of confusion, then disgust. She’s unfamiliar with the world of slasher films, but she’s aware that Freddy Krueger is a boogeyman who kills children in their sleep. How Madison can equate her to that is beyond her, but she brushes it off, remembering that Madison is naturally unpleasant, like sulfur.

 

“Sh! Don’t say that, Madison! That’s so rude!” Zoe scolds. “What if she heard you?”

 

Madison snorts in response. “Please. She is too busy making goo-goo eyes at Misty through the window to hear anything.”

 

Goo-goo eyes? What’s that supposed to mean? That Cordelia is fawning over the blonde swamp witch and making patent heart eyes at her? Impossible. If anything, the two young witches are the ones hopelessly infatuated with each other. And even if they weren’t, it doesn’t change the fact that Misty is not Cordelia’s inamorata.

 

A step to the right causes the floorboards to squeak beneath Cordelia’s weight. She becomes tense, hoping the sound doesn’t divert Madison and Zoe’s attention to her and reveal her eavesdropping on their conversation.

 

“Did you hear that?” Madison asks, voice low and wavering. “Footsteps?”

 

“Madison, knock it off. You do this every time we watch a scary movie. You start getting paranoid and afraid someone is gonna kill you. It’s still daytime, it could be anyone walking by. Besides, this house is old. It creaks,” Zoe explains.

 

Cordelia cautiously backs away from the door, returning to her occupation of cleaning the kitchen. She toes at the smudged floor with the tip of her boot, frowning when she’s unable to see her reflection in the tiles. Normally she would, and it bothers her that she can’t, that any semblance of a reflection is nothing but a dull, smeared speckle of dirt.

 

She grabs the mop from their cleaning cabinet and wets it with hot water and some Mr Clean (the yellow one that smells the best) before she starts laying down the law on the grime the girls have tracked on their floor over the past weeks. As she vigorously mops, she watches through the window, admiring the rainfall. Misty and Piper have still not come back inside.

 

Halfway through mopping the kitchen tile, Cordelia pauses to take a break, figuratively patting herself on the back for making it this far on her own. Usually, Zoe is here to help. But somehow, doing things on her own gives Cordelia a sense of pride.

 

The backdoor opens, and in walk Misty and Piper, wearing muddy rain boots as they cross the freshly-cleaned floor. Cordelia shrieks.

 

“It’s wet!” she cries. “Great! Now I have to redo it.”

 

“We’re sorry, Delia,” Misty says, looking down at her boots that have mercilessly tracked caked mud all over the floor. “Didn’t realize you were cleanin’ in here. Thought Zoe would be doing it.”

 

“It’s fine. Just. . .take off your shoes and put them outside,” Cordelia says, pointing towards the door they just entered through.

 

Piper shrugs off her raincoat and shakes it out, sending water droplets flying all over Cordelia, who glares at the young girl in contempt. She reminds her of a little Madison, whom is slowly recovering after her many chances at life. Piper’s only had one; may be more if she keeps her nose where it doesn’t belong.

 

“It’s pourin’ cats and dogs out there!” Misty exclaims as she removes her shoes and sets them on the back porch, followed by Piper. “I’m gonna go downstairs to the basement and get some flashlights and matches. We might lose power.”

 

Cordelia nods, dismissing her, which leaves her and Piper alone in the silent kitchen.

 

“You know you weren’t supposed to be outside, right?” Cordelia asks Piper as she continues mopping up the mess they made.

 

“Misty said I could,” she says.

 

“You’re supposed to call her Miss Day. She’s your teacher. And you know I told everyone to stay inside because of the storm. It’s dangerous and you can get hurt or sick. It’s fine for Misty to go because she’s an adult, but you’re a young witch and you need to do as I say,” Cordelia explains. She can see a sliver of her face in the tile.

 

“I can make my own choices.”

 

That catches Cordelia off guard, not having heard anyone say that to her since Madison first arrived years ago. And considering how well that turned out, she’s not too inclined to believe it.

 

“Piper, I—“ Before Cordelia can finish, the small witch brushes past her, leaving her supreme dumbfounded.

 

“What a little shit,” Zoe says from the doorway, causing Cordelia to spin. “Forgive me. But she’s a little shit.”

 

Cordelia cracks a smile and nods before returning to her mopping. She’s just about finished sopping up the thick mud when Zoe grabs a jar of grape jelly from the fridge and a loaf of bread from the pantry.

 

“What are you doing with those?” Cordelia questions. “I need that for the girls’ lunch tomorrow.”

 

“Madison and I are watching Nightmare on Elm Street, and she’s absolutely terrified because she thinks she can die in her dreams. Her favorite comfort food is a jelly sandwich because it’s sweet and she likes it when it gets soggy.“

 

“No peanut butter?” Cordelia asks in disgust.

 

Zoe shakes her head. “Nope. She says it reminds her of her childhood: sad, pathetic, and disappointing but still good enough for her.”

 

Madison Montgomery truly is a rare species. Beneath the rough shell of a young woman is a scared, sad child. She’s vulnerable in all the right ways, and Cordelia is willing to offer her some guidance to help her move forward in life, but breaking the shell isn’t as feasible as she was hoping.

 

“I see you’re enjoying your new TV,” Cordelia muses, bringing the mop to the sink and rinsing it out.

 

“Yeah, it keeps her quiet. Except when she’s scared. She’s a real jumpy baby,” Zoe says with a shrug. “She really thinks she’s going to die in her dream tonight.”

 

“Zoe, I need you!” Madison calls from upstairs. “Bring me the sandwich!”

 

“See what I mean?” Zoe huffs before stomping upstairs.

 

It’s funny, the way things have changed in the past two years. Mallory brought Madison back from her hell, and all has been put back into place, but something seems crooked in the most perfect way. Cordelia feels something should be different; like Madison shouldn’t be letting her guard down and Zoe shouldn’t be getting along with her. It’s like they—or just Cordelia—were transported into a parallel universe that gives them a taste of what a simple life—plus magic—is like. And Cordelia loves it, but she’s also afraid it may be ripped away from her, or she’ll wake up in her bed and find out Madison is still dead and Zoe is still lonely.

 

Some people are afraid of their loved ones dying. Cordelia is afraid of waking up to find out her witches are still stuck in a cycle of hell. She wouldn’t know what to do if she woke up and Misty’s bed was empty and Zoe was wondering if Madison would ever return home.

 

She leaves this thought to simmer in the back of her brain as she does one last run through on the floor with the mop. When she’s finished, a loud clap of thunder shakes the entire house and causes the lights to flicker. She jumps in response, feeling some sort of electricity jolt through her veins.

 

The power rises but hums, as if it’s about to give way to the storm. Clouds clutter the darkened sky as streaks of lightning crash across the gray scenery, as if there’s an angry god up there wreaking havoc on the mortals and witches that walk this earth because it’s bored. Misty should be back with the flashlights and matches by now.

 

Deciding there’s no use in cleaning anything else when the girls will be stuck inside for the next foreseeable day or so, Cordelia calls it quits and locks the backdoor so the wind doesn’t burst it open. She goes to the den and picks up the book Mallory had been reading here last night, studying the inner summary as she sits down on the loveseat.

 

Thunder booms and the lights go out, leaving nothing but the silver light coming through the curtains. Cordelia hears a yelp from upstairs, and when she’s prepared to bolt up there, hasty footsteps descend the staircase, and Madison tumbles into the den, heading straight for Cordelia, who catches her in her arms.

 

“Madison, what’s wrong?” Cordelia asks. “The power will be back on soon.”

 

“I’m fucking scared of thunderstorms!” she cries into Cordelia’s chest. She smells of grape jelly and her fingers are sticky. “You don’t have to talk to me like a baby!”

 

Chuckling to herself, Cordelia pats Madison’s head and holds her closer. This is surreal; normally, Madison would cling to Zoe when she’s frightened. She generally leaves Cordelia in the dark when it comes to removing her barrier and revealing her emotions. This is quite unprecedented for both women.

 

“It’s just a storm, Madison,” Cordelia soothes. “It’s okay.”

 

“I hate the loud noises.”

 

Thunder rumbles to life again, sending a shiver up the younger witch’s spine. Cordelia proceeds with caution in rubbing Madison’s back. She’s unsure of how the former actress might react to it, but Madison surprisingly welcomes it, even nestling further into Cordelia when the ominous sounds of nature begin to sing.

 

Eventually, Madison calms down and her trembling stops, and she curls further into Delia’s lap like a child to her mother. It could be some hormonal instinct rushing to Cordelia’s brain, but she finds herself toying with the girl’s hair while she gently hums, which leads to Madison’s breathing evening out as her tired eyes close.

 

Not once did Cordelia imagine something of this type would happen. Madison is the only one in the house who has a love for her secrets and will do just about anything to prevent the outsiders from looking in. She’s a cynosure adolescent with the spotlight aimed at her, but light creates shadows. Always.

 

Though Madison has since fallen asleep, Cordelia keeps playing with the blonde stands of hair, hoping to keep the girl asleep just until the power comes on. They sit in the den, under the foggy light of the stormy day, for a touch under an hour, when a faint buzzing is heard and the lights flicker to a steady yellow glow again.

 

Numb in the legs, Cordelia gently rouses Madison by shaking her. The young girl awakens with a yawn and takes a look at her surroundings while rubbing her eyes.

 

“Well, you’re alive aren’t you?” Cordelia teases.

 

“Fucking Zoe,” Madison hisses under her breath before regaining her composure. “I didn’t dream. So it doesn’t count.”

 

“Did you nap good?” Cordelia asks, taking note of the drool on her lap.

 

Madison nods. She hesitates for a moment, unsure and wavering, before she wraps her arms around Cordelia again, squeezing her tight.

 

“Thanks, Mom,” she whispers so faintly.

 

That words stops Cordelia’s heart beating, and tears gather in her eyes. She rubs Madison’s back, like when she was sleeping awhile ago, and kisses the top of her head.

 

“You realize you just called me Mom?” Cordelia asks.

 

The tension she feels in her arms in response answers her question.

 

“No I didn’t. I didn’t call you that,” Madison hastily insists, pulling away from Cordelia. “No way. Not me.”

 

Cordelia muses to herself and pokes Madison’s nose, earning an adorable crinkle.

 

“You did call me Mom. Do you see me as your mother?” the Supreme asks, more heartfelt than teasing. Perhaps she could benefit from the validation.

 

“I. . .no. No way.”

 

“Madison. . .”

 

Sighing, Madison slumps her shoulders and crosses her arms over her chest, somewhat defeated.

 

“Fine! Yeah, I do see you as my mom, okay? Because my real mom is a selfish bitch who hates me and always has. You’ve paid more attention to me than she did.”

 

That both breaks and warms Cordelia’s heart. Despite Madison being somewhat difficult to handle, she can’t imagine giving up on her. She can’t imagine giving up on any of the girls. That’s not what she stands for; not what she believes in.

 

“Okay, enough of this mushy bullshit,” Madison says, standing up from the sofa. “I’m going upstairs to finish my jelly sandwich.”

 

Cordelia nods in response, freeing her to leave, but Madison doesn’t move. She looks towards the long, shadowed staircase, and then back at Cordelia, eyes wide.

 

“Will you. . .come with me?” Madison asks.

 

The Supreme lightheartedly laughs and stands up, leading Madison up the stairs. They walk in silence, and then Cordelia deposits Madison in her and Zoe’s shared room, where the latter is sitting with a half-eaten, soggy sandwich in her lap, presumably Madison’s.

 

“There you are!” Zoe exclaims. “I thought you got kidnapped by Freddy or something. Where were you?”

 

Madison and Cordelia share a cloistered look before Madison shrugs.

 

“Nowhere. Let’s just finish the movie so we can watch Friday the 13th.”

 

Smiling to herself, Cordelia leaves them be and goes to the kitchen in search of something else to make for lunch tomorrow, knowing full well the jelly will have vanished by tonight.

 

And when tonight arrives and Cordelia is sat in the den with the same book in her hands, Madison wanders in, eyes tired and crusted over.

 

“Can’t sleep?” Cordelia asks.

 

“Zoe made me watch Freddy vs. Jason.”

 

Moving to one end of the couch, Cordelia pats the empty space beside her, and Madison sits next to her, bundling herself up with the fleece blanket that was draped across the back of the couch.

 

“I’ll have to get some more jelly after the storm passes,” Madison says. “I kinda ate it all.”

 

“I knew you would,” muses Cordelia. “You know, you really are a sweetheart under your rough shell.”

 

Madison glares at Cordelia. “Sweet? I’m antifreeze. I appear sweet but I’ll actually kill you.”

 

Cordelia takes that with a grain of salt and humors the girl by agreeing, but it’s confirmed when Madison falls asleep on her chest that Madison Montgomery might just be the sweetest witch in this entire coven.

 

Though, Cordelia has no idea of what door she’s opened by discovering this.


	2. Hide-and-Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe and Mallory play hide-and-seek with a couple of kid witches. Nothing goes right. Because it just never does for them.

Following this morning’s gathering after breakfast, Mallory and Zoe promised the youngest witches that, if they did as they were told and didn’t cause any trouble all day, they would play hide-and-seek with them after the final class wrapped up.

 

Zoe has to say that she’s exhausted and tired out, thanks to Madison invading her bed for no seemingly apparent reason at all last night. She puts her spell and lesson books away on the bookshelf and dismisses everyone for the day, sending them scattering about the house like ants. Hoping to avoid the coven and all responsibility for the rest of the night, she begins to go ascend the staircase without acknowledging anyone, but two steps to the top, a small voice calls for her.

 

“Miss Zoe!”

 

She pretends to play deaf. They don’t control her. The witches—her students—may be small and very manipulative, but they don’t control her. Class is officially over for the day; she’s under no obligation to spend another second tending to them until tomorrow’s morning gathering in approximately sixteen hours.

 

“Miss Zoe! Hey!” the voice calls again, louder now, echoing in Zoe’s ears.

 

Blowing out a soft sigh, Zoe turns on her heel and looks at her student. This one is peculiar, tinier, and meeker. In appearance, of course. She’s just as magical as the rest, though. If not more.

 

“Yes, Talia?” Zoe asks, smiling fondly at the red-headed, green-eyed ten-year-old.

 

In all candor, Talia reminds everyone—even Madison—of Myrtle. Sometimes looking at her brings forth some painful but joyous memories for the coven, especially Cordelia. Myrtle still exists in these walls, in the paintings. She may not be here in all her physical glory of designer outfits and an abstract personality, but she’s here in other senses. Including the other witches.

 

“You said you and Mallory would play hide-and-seek with Remi and me after class. Remember?” Talia questions.

 

Remi, a rough-and-tough tween witch whom Cordelia is attempting to soften into an obedient necromancer, suddenly transmutes next to Talia, causing Zoe to yelp.

 

“Remi! Don’t do that, please,” Zoe says, hand over her chest. “It’s dangerous and you shouldn’t be using magic outside of class unless for an emergency.”

 

Now, Cordelia has left her office to see what all the noise is about, and is leaned up against the doorframe in a candid fashion as she watches Zoe interact with the girls.

 

“No one’s ever died doing transmutation,” Remi says, waving Zoe off.

 

Zoe flinches and bites her lip. She swears she feels a phantom pool of liquid growing around her midsection where she was once impaled a few years ago. Cordelia flinches, too. Though she couldn’t see it that day, Myrtle’s screams of horror linger in her brain. The one curse of being blind was that all of her other senses went into overdrive and remained lodged in her nose and ears even to this day.

 

“It’s not about life or death, Remi. It’s about safety. You aren’t that great at it yet, okay? I’ve already told you not to do things like that,” says Zoe, tapping the wooden railing. It’s half past four pm. She just wants to read a book and wind down.

 

“Anyways, you did promise us that you and Mallory would play with us if we were good,” Remi replies, completely disregarding her reprimand. “We didn’t cause trouble. So I guess that means we can play, right?”

 

Talia jumps up and down in excitement. Sighing in surrender, Zoe nods. She’s one to keep promises. Loyalty and honoring her oaths and vows are crucial to her. Despite being tired and having a headache humming across her forehead, she did promise, so she has to honor it.

 

“Fine,” Zoe says. “Go find Mallory. And no more transmutation!”

 

Remi and Talia high-five each other and run off in search of the older witch who is probably already hiding from them—except not for fun. She’s not much of a kid person. Zoe turns to Cordelia, who’s been watching on with an amused expression.

 

“I should have never promised, right?” the brunette questions.

 

Cordelia shakes her head. “Never make a deal with those little devils. But this will be fun.”

 

Zoe’s eyebrows raise. “For who?”

 

“Me.”

 

+++

 

Mallory curses Zoe out in her mind. Sure, they both promised to play these silly games, but at the time, it was only to shut the two kids up so they could have some silence for once. It turned into an actual oath, and Zoe just has to be the loyal type. Mallory isn’t against it, per se, but it is annoying when all she wanted was to watch a movie with Coco and go to sleep but Zoe just couldn’t tell the girls to back off and find something else to do.

 

It’s a quarter past five and they’re on the fourth round of hide-and-seek. Talia decided it was best to split into teams; Zoe and Mallory on one, and herself and Remi on the other. Though Mallory would like to challenge them to an adult-child team, she keeps her mouth shut to avoid this dragging out longer than it already is. She can’t afford to be playing this game all night.

 

This round, Zoe and Mallory are supposed to hide and Remi and Talia have to seek them. The two young witches lean up against the wall and close their eyes, counting to thirty. Mallory and Zoe take off to the kitchen where the former dodges Cordelia stirring something on the stove to duck under the table and the latter clambers into the food pantry.

 

Cordelia has been observing from afar since they began, even while she’s preparing dinner. She heard Zoe lay down the rules about no transmutation or cheating—however you can cheat at hide-and-seek—and only the first two floors of the house are allowed for hiding. So far, it’s been quite entertaining for the supreme. Zoe is always the first to be found, and Cordelia can’t tell if she’s letting them win or she’s just that terrible at hiding.

 

“Ready or not, here we come!” Talia declares from the other room.

 

Zoe scrunches herself up in the pantry, trying her hardest to avoid the mouse trap Cordelia set there. She’s unsure why; she’s yet to see a mouse anywhere around here. Then again, it’s sitting on a box of Cordelia’s precious Triscuit crackers.

 

“Found you, Mallory!” Remi says. “Now tell us where Zoe went. We know you know.”

 

“She went to the study,” Mallory says.

 

And they believe it, because Mallory is like god to them. She’s the veil between youth and maturity and doesn’t suck in personality like everyone else. So they listen to her, and run upstairs to the study to “find Zoe.” Mallory snorts to herself, laughing off just how gullible kids can be.

 

Cordelia knocks on the pantry door. “Zoe, can I have the sugar?”

 

In the darkness, Zoe fumbles for the glass container of sugar, but she gets a handful of Triscuit box instead, and something snaps and catches her index finger, causing her to shriek in pain.

 

Alarmed, Cordelia throws open the pantry door to find Zoe cowering away with the mouse trap pinched around her finger. Mallory cups her mouth with her hand, half in shock and half in amusement.

 

“For fuck’s sake,” Cordelia mumbles to herself as she attempts to work the trap off Zoe’s swollen finger. “This is why you don’t touch my crackers. I put that there for a specific reason.”

 

Rolling her eyes, Zoe huffs. “Yeah, I get that now.”

 

Remi and Talia enter then, firstly accusing Mallory of lying, before seeing their teacher wedged between boxes of pasta and cans of green beans with a mouse trap engulfed on her index.

 

“Found you,” Remi deadpans.

 

Zoe glares at the curly-headed witch, who shrugs in response. Finally, Cordelia gets the trap off her finger and rubs the area that’s now red and swollen. She winces just by inspecting it. It looks painful to the touch but it probably numb more than anything.

 

“I’ll get an ice pack,” Cordelia says as she sets the trap on the counter, turning to Remi and Talia. “Why don’t you take a break while I help Zoe? You can come back and play in a few minutes.”

 

The kids look at each other cautiously. Cordelia responds to their hesitance with an expectant look and a quirk if her eyebrow, which sends them running out of the room. She chuckles to herself and dabs a penguin-shaped ice pack at Zoe’s hand.

 

“They’re kids,” Cordelia points out as she holds the ice pack firmly to the hot flesh. “They forget. I think you’re free now.”

 

Just when Zoe thinks that’s true, her finger stops throbbing (for the most part) and Remi and Talia return, looking between Mallory and Zoe. Zoe gets out of the pantry where she was sitting on the shelf.

 

“Okay, I’ll make you another deal,” Zoe insists. “One more round. Ten minutes to find us. Mallory and I win, we stop playing. You two win. . .we can play until midnight. Only rule is we have dinner either way it goes. The entire house and outside property is free game now.”

 

Mallory gapes in horror. Remi and Talia gape in excitement, cheering like it’s their birthdays or something. Coco and Madison come downstairs to see what’s being made for dinner, catching the tail end of Zoe’s bet. They snicker at each other as they study Cordelia’s creation of. . .whatever it is she’s cooking.

 

“You two are it,” Zoe says. “Now go count to sixty.”

 

They go back to their “counting place” in the foyer, leaving Mallory fuming and Cordelia humming happily to herself.

 

“Zoe, we’re gonna be stuck playing til midnight?!” Mallory hisses. “You suck at hiding! We’re gonna lose!”

 

With a mischievous smile, Zoe lowers her voice. “They have to catch us first.”

 

And she’s gone in a flash. Mallory gasps, realizing she’s transmuted to the backyard. Mallory quickly follows after hearing “thirty” leave Talia’s mouth. Coco and Madison go to the window to watch the events unfold. Zoe continues transmuting across the yard, until she’s settled in their toolshed and Mallory has found solace in a thick rosebush.

 

Apprehensively, Cordelia monitors the game. Madison fights the urge to shout “BACKYARD” when Remi and Talia begin their high-and-low search.

 

“Should I go get Misty, just in case?” Cordelia murmurs in Madison’s ear.

 

“I think she’s already outside. She knows,” Madison responds.

 

After a few crucial minutes, Remi and Talia come to the kitchen, quite befuddled and confused. They open the pantry and all the cupboards, hoping that their game will go on for hours, but find nothing.

 

“Hurry, Remi, we don’t have much time left!” Talia insists. “Check the attic!”

 

Remi goes to do as suggest when Misty enters the kitchen from the greenhouse, cleaning her dirty hands with a cloth.

 

“Why the hell did Mallory just dive into a rosebush like she’s insane? And why is Zoe hiding in the toolshed?” the swamp witch questions.

 

Coco cracks up laughing as Madison slams her head against the window, stifling a loud cackle. Confused, Misty shuffles out of the way as Remi and Talia push past her to run to the backyard.

 

“Why are y’all lookin’ at me crazy?” Misty asks.

 

Cordelia sighs, a grin plastered on her face. “You’ll find out soon.”

 

Talia drags a screeching Zoe out of the toolshed while Remi carefully helps Mallory out from behind the rosebush. Both older witches look disheveled and defeated, like they’ve just lost their entire life savings, while the small ones cheer and clap in their accidental victory.

 

From inside, the entire coven can hear Zoe cry, “All I wanted was to read! Screw my life!”

 

+++

 

Cordelia serves dinner at six-thirty. The entire coven is present and accounted for, save for the four that were playing all evening. As Cordelia is about to call them in for dinner, Remi and Talia appear from outside, walking stiffly, as if they’ve done something less than noble. They sit together, mouths pressed firmly into thin lines.

 

“Where’s Zoe and Mallory?” Cordelia questions.

 

“We couldn’t find Mallory,” Remi replies. “But Zoe. . .”

 

Now the entire table is staring expectantly at the pair of girls. Fear settles in Cordelia’s belly as she goes through a natural cycle of “what if”s. She hopes Zoe’s not hurt again; Misty can only do so much.

 

“What happened to her, you little freak?!” Madison sneers, pointing her fork at Talia.

 

Cordelia has to restrain Madison using her powers, and she doesn’t let her settle until she’s sure she’s calmed down. Then, Cordelia gives Remi a hard stare.

 

“What happened?”

 

Remi lets out a laugh. “Look out the window.”

 

Abandoning her plate, Cordelia stands up and pushes open the heavy curtains, revealing Zoe well and alive. . .but stuck up in their tree. She’s clutching onto the large branch, peering down at the earth below, clearly terrified.

 

“Oh, what the fuck,” Cordelia says exasperatedly.

 

She runs to the tree where Zoe is trapped and trembling. The young council member is a makeshift ball of skin and hair, and it’s honestly heartbreaking for Cordelia to watch.

 

“Zoe, how’d you get up there?” Cordelia asks.

 

“We were playing hide-and-seek, and Remi transmuted to scare me, so I did it too, but I ended up here instead,” Zoe explains, looking down in shame. “I know I know better.”

 

“It’s okay, honey. I’m not mad. Just transmute down before your dinner gets cold,” Cordelia gently says.

 

Looking between the iron gate and her supreme, Zoe shakes her head. Cordelia sighs to herself. She understands why she won’t transmute down. It’s even too painful to think about in the moment.

 

“Zoe, nothing bad will happen. I’m right here, okay?” Cordelia assures. “Just come down. Please. This is considered an emergency. You’ll face no guilt if you do it. It’s okay. You know I won’t let you get hurt.”

 

“I can’t. I’m too scared.”

 

Cordelia tries to reach for Zoe, but she’s about two feet too short of grabbing her hands. Zoe still refuses to transmute, fearing death again, so Cordelia rushes to the toolshed where the brunette had been earlier in the evening, and drags a ladder from there to the tree.

 

“Fucking hell, the things I do for you people,” she mutters as she positions the ladder against the tree. “Alright, Zoe. Come down.”

 

Hesitantly, Zoe sets one foot on the first rung, then climbs down the rest of the way with ease. Cordelia helps her and lifts her off the ladder. Now everyone—except Mallory—is watching through the window, having abandoned their dinner in favor of a show.

 

Madison’s eyes express nothing but relief when Zoe is brought inside, safe and whole.

 

“Alright, everyone back to your meals,” Cordelia instructs as she sits Zoe down in the empty seat next to Coco, where Mallory normally would be. “I guess we’ll worry about Malory after this.”

 

Zoe wishes she knew where Mallory was. Then maybe they’d have a story to bond over tonight while they’re applying heating pads to their sore muscles.

 

Cordelia takes a bite of her food and simply announces, “No more hide-and-seek for today.”

 

Zoe gives a subtle, grateful smile.

 

+++

 

Mallory never showed for dinner. Most of the coven has turned in for the night already, at ten pm, save for the older witches, who run about the house calling Mallory’s name and cellphone. The search has been ongoing for an hour and they’ve yet to find a trace of the witch.

 

For the first time, Coco feels genuine terror. She’s always had Mallory at her side for her entire stay here at the academy. They’re like two peas in a pod. Totally inseparable. She cannot sleep without Mallory’s presence and steady breathing in the same room to assure her she’s alright. And most importantly, Mallory is small and sometimes vulnerable. What if someone took her?

 

“Mallory?” Cordelia calls out the backdoor. “Mallory! Come on, it’s not funny!”

 

Coco tears the den upside down, hoping the girl is just playing a trick to get some sort of revenge for having to play that dumb game. Zoe pitches in, feeling somewhat responsible, and checks the attic. Both rooms come up Mallory-free. Madison helps, too, because she just wants sleep but can’t unless all this commotion stops. She takes the study, and finds nothing but papers and books.

 

Misty walks inside and flicks off her flashlight, shaking her head. “I checked the greenhouse and the shed and around the yard. Nothing. The gate is locked, so she couldn’t have left and no one took her out of here.”

 

“Should we call someone?” Coco asks. “She’s so small; anyone could have taken her and we wouldn’t know! She’s probably out there alone and scared!”

 

Misty attempts to placate Coco by giving her rational explanations as to what could have transpired. Despite being overcome by fear, Cordelia does a final run-through of the kitchen and opens the cupboards one by one. In the last one, where the cleaning chemicals are, she finds a tiny, sleeping figure balled up in the fetal position. Mallory. Sighing in relief, Cordelia motions for the others to follow her.

 

A series of relieved breaths occur before a couple of “aww”s. Cordelia reaches into the cupboard and pulls Mallory into her arms. Mallory doesn’t budge, not even when Cordelia lifts her up.

 

“She was here the entire time,” Cordelia whispers in disbelief, holding Mallory tight.

 

Mallory exhales deeply in her sleep, her head lolling into Cordelia’s chest, and she groggily mumbles, “You win.”


	3. Grocery Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cordelia takes Madison and Zoe shopping at Costco, leaving Misty to watch the house—and the food in the oven.

Cordelia installed a huge whiteboard on the kitchen wall where a few old, boring paintings that have since been removed, used to hang. The whiteboard is very panoptic, drawing attention to itself from every direction, especially from the youthful witches, who snatch the dry erase markers and draw frivolous doodles on it to “surprise” Cordelia when she comes down for her morning coffee. 

 

The initial reason for the whiteboard was for grocery lists and other various items that need to be restocked in the house, to be written so Cordelia could be mindful of it when she places a food order or goes shopping on her own. Of course, in a house of witches, everything is up for grabs, and it’s seen as another source of entertainment for them. Cordelia doesn’t pay too much mind; she has her own personal list to keep track of.

 

The only person who utilizes the board in its true fashion is Zoe. On a Monday morning, while Queenie has taken over her first class of the day, Zoe uncaps a blood-red marker and writes “feminine products” across the blank surface, using her prettiest cursive, which is somewhat messy to anyone else.

 

She’s not immature or embarrassed about needing her womanly necessities for her time of the month, but not having to outright tell Cordelia that she’s bleeding heavily and needs a box of tampons ASAP, is refreshing. Periods are never something to be ashamed of, but they’re not a topic that’s appreciated at the dinner table.

 

“There’s nothing to eat in this shit hole!”

 

The marker goes flying into the air when Zoe jumps at the sudden sound of Madison’s voice. The former movie star exits their food pantry, slamming the door behind herself. She’s scowling with her perfect lips puckered into a sour expression.

 

“Madison! You’re supposed to be helping Misty’s class in the greenhouse!” Zoe exclaims.

 

Madison shrugs and opens the fridge, scanning over the few contents there, before her nose crinkles and she shuts it with a loud huff of discontent leaving her lips. It’s been awhile since she’s had a good binge, but it’s mostly due in part to there being hardly any food worth eating in the house, not because she’s taking steps in recovery, though it’s not as harsh as it was many lifetimes ago.

 

“Wasn’t a food delivery supposed to come today?” Madison questions.

 

With a mocking shrug, Zoe picks up the marker and deposits it in its slot attached to the board. She’s a bit hungry herself, but her cramps are overpowering her will to eat anything solid. A faint buzzing throbs against the inside of her skull, the familiar initial sensation of a migraine coming on.

 

“Well, there’s nothing to eat,” says the blonde as she slams the breadbox shut. “The bagels are gone.”

 

“Misty was just here before class,” Zoe replies. More needn’t be said; Cordelia buys bagels in bulk because of the swamp witch.

 

Cordelia enters the kitchen with an empty coffee mug in hand. She brushes past Madison and rinses the tea out of the porcelain in the sink, completely oblivious to the two witches staring at her with expectant stares. Catching half of Zoe’s face in the window above the sink, Cordelia turns to face her.

 

“What?” The supreme asks.

 

“It’s Monday. Food delivery day,” Zoe replies and nods towards their large clock, which reads ten am on the dot. “It should’ve been here by now.”

 

Something seems to switch on in Cordelia’s brain, and she smacks her forehead with her palm, doe eyes clenching shut.

 

“I forgot to send it in after I made it last night,” she sighs. “I’ll send it tonight, but we won’t get it until tomorrow.”

 

“So what are we supposed to eat now?” Madison asks.

 

“No worries. I may have forgotten to send it, but I didn’t forget to feed you,” Cordelia says as she pushes up the lid of their new-used deep freezer, sending a gust of chilled air into the room. “I have a frozen meatloaf in here. I’ll put it in the oven now and it will be ready for lunch when we come back from the store.”

 

Zoe’s eyebrows meet as she stands, bewildered. The throbbing begins to spread further, wrapped around her entire skull. She should put aspirin on the whiteboard, in case the migraine isn’t much of a reminder.

 

“The store? But the food is delivered to us,” she tells Cordelia. “We don’t have to go anywhere.”

 

“I said I had food for lunch.” Cordelia takes the gigantic aluminum pan of frozen meatloaf from the freezer and sets it on the stovetop. “I never said anything about dinner.”

 

The two younger witches share a cautious, annoyed glance behind Cordelia’s back. Cordelia fiddles with the oven’s knobs and starts to preheat it, ensuring it’s not above 375, because it’s so old that it tends to spark beyond that temperature. She slides the pan into the oven and takes off her ridiculous zoo animal mitts—courtesy of Misty.

 

“Madison, shouldn’t you be with Misty right about now?” Cordelia questions.

 

“I was bored, so I left.”

 

In response, Cordelia gives Madison the most incredulous, deadpan stare the former star has ever witnessed.

 

“Okay, fine, she kicked me out because I set one of the flowers on fire,” Madison admits.

 

Sighing, Cordelia waves that issue off and makes a mental note to talk with Madison when time is much more forgiving. As of now, her main focus is getting groceries for dinner tonight. She can worry about Madison’s antics when the sun goes down.

 

“She probably won’t let you back in, then, and Zoe, I’m assuming Queenie has your class now?” Cordelia asks, grabbing her purse and keys from the hook. Zoe nods, not too quickly or else the pain will worsen. “Then you both can come with me to Costco. I’ll have to buy in bulk to feed all of us tonight. I need your help loading and unloading the groceries. They don’t use bags.”

 

As expected before anything was even said, Zoe and Madison groan and moan in contempt. Though, Zoe’s mostly groaning because of the headache and cramps. Madison only complains because, who really wants to spend a morning at Costco? With Cordelia, nonetheless?

 

“I don’t want to,” Madison says.

 

“Fine. Then I guess I’ll just have to convince Misty to take you back into class, though you can expect a long, drawn out lecture from us both later,” sighs Cordelia with a halfhearted shrug.

 

Although it’s clear Cordelia is totally bluffing and trying to get a rise out of Madison, Madison isn’t inclined to deal with any of her or the swamp witch’s shit today, so she goes full non-confrontational and reluctantly agrees to go on this little shopping trip to avoid a supposed “lecture”, which she knows will consist only of “don’t do it again”.

 

“Good. I’ll tell Misty we’re leaving,” Cordelia announces as she goes to the greenhouse, avoiding the muck and mud from the late April storms.

 

Inside the greenhouse are Misty and a few students, who each have their own potted rose in front of them. They’re all giggling at Misty, who’s seemingly just turned the color of the flower a deeper shade of red, almost black as night. None of them notice Cordelia in the doorway, so she remains still, observing.

 

“I wanna try!” one of the little witches declares.

 

And she does try, except it backfires—literally—and the rose ignites. The room is filled with screeching and gasps of surprise and horror as another witch—older and quicker—grabs Misty’s watering can and splashes some water on it, causing the flame to die and the petals to wilt.

 

“Misty!” Cordelia calls over the leftover commotion. “Misty!”

 

The swamp witch’s head snaps towards Cordelia as she’s trying to clear the smoke from the area with her hands. Just when they think the blaze has died out, a spark ignites on the single petal left. The girls cry out again and hurry to refill the can.

 

“What’s wrong?!” Misty asks—shouts at—Cordelia.

 

“I’m going to the store! I’m taking Zoe and Madison with me! I’ll be back, but can you make sure the meatloaf in the oven doesn’t burn?” Cordelia practically yells.

 

“Yeah, I got it!” Misty says, returning to putting out the small fire.

 

Nodding, Cordelia walks out but leaves the door ajar to waft out the smoke. She shakes her head and coughs once. Age won’t kill her; perhaps the circus that is this coven will.

 

+++

 

Cordelia figured she was doing something smart by going to Costco in the morning rather than the afternoon when everyone crawls out from their hidey-holes to shop. However, she’s proven wrong when she drives into the gigantic parking lot and slams on the brakes to avoid hitting a wandering child among a crowd of shoppers with huge carts filled to the brims.

 

“Cordelia, what the fuck! You’re gonna kill us!” Madison shrieks from the backseat—where Zoe made her sit after they argued back and forth about it.

 

“Jesus!” Cordelia exclaims. “There’s a child in the way.”

 

Cordelia waves at the young kid, who’s no more than five or six, to get back between the parked cars. He stares absentmindedly at her through her windshield, then shrugs. The Supreme begins to panic, and she rolls her window down.

 

“Excuse me! Whose kid is this?” Cordelia calls.

 

A woman loading groceries into her trunk whips around. Her eyes widen to the point of falling out of her sockets, and she rushes to snatch the boy from the middle of the road, giving Cordelia the evil eye the whole way.

 

“What the fuck is her problem?” Madison asks. “Dumb cunt.”

 

Cordelia sighs and glances at Madison in the rear view mirror, a warning sign in her eyes. It’s a silent communication method they’ve developed over the last few years. Whenever Madison says or does something less than appropriate, a simple glance of Cordelia’s eyes puts her back into place.

 

Cordelia has to drive around the lot twice to find an available spot that isn’t handicap or partially taken by some other asshole in the spot next to it. It’s incredibly packed for a weekday morning, and she wonders just why the world has to disgrace her with forgetfulness and bad timing.

 

She finds a space practically in another city, at the end of the lot. Madison complains that she has to walk, though not too far, especially for someone her age and size. Zoe never complains. She likes to think this is the lesser of the evils.

 

“It’s too hot out here,” Madison groans, slipping her sunglasses over her eyes.

 

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t acted up in class, you wouldn’t have to come,” Cordelia says. “Misty didn’t seem all that upset by it, but you know better.”

 

Madison stops the conversation by yanking free a cart at the entrance. Zoe idly stands by, waiting for Cordelia go through her process of wheeling it back and forth to ensure it’s not a “dumb” cart and wiping the handlebar with a sanitizing wipe she pulls from her purse.

 

“Can I get in it?” Madison asks as they walk into the warehouse.

 

“What? No, Madison. The seats are for babies and you’d get stuck,” Cordelia says.

 

“Not the seat. I wanna get in the cart. My feet are tired,” she replies.

 

“Madison, you are too old to do this. If you want to sit in the cart, go get another one and have Zoe push you. We don’t have time for your nonsense. I have to get back to the academy as soon as possible.”

 

Madison looks at Zoe and flutters her eyelashes at her, smiling. Zoe, who’s examining a book on the display table a few feet away, shakes her head.

 

“No way. That’s ridiculous and childish,” Zoe clicks her tongue.

 

Cordelia taps the face of her watch and observes her surroundings. The checkout lines are long and jammed, and she’s aware that it just might take her awhile to get her shopping done even if she’s quick about it. She’s quick solo, but not when she has roughly 230 pounds of adolescent burden trailing behind her and picking up random things and dragging their feet.

 

“You know what? I’m going to do what every parent does; abandon their kids and come back for them,” Cordelia tells Zoe and Madison. “You two stay here or walk around or do something while I shop. Just don’t bother people, don’t cause scenes, don’t make messes, and none of that thing I always remind you of. Oh, and Madison? Do not take more than one sample from the vendors. It’s called a sample for a reason. Meet me here in this exact spot in half an hour.”

 

With that, Cordelia leaves them stranded in the books section, running into an aisle to escape them before either one can stop her.

 

“Well, looks like I’m stuck with you for thirty minutes,” Madison sighs, looking pointedly at Zoe.

 

“Oh please, you enjoy being around me. You’re like a leech,” Zoe responds as she flips open the cover of a random book.

 

“Excuse me?” Madison scoffs. “I do not love being with you!”

 

Zoe’s eyebrow raises. She gives Madison an amused, sly look.

 

“I never said anything about love.”

 

Madison’s face turns a nice tomato shade of red. “Oh, fuck off.”

 

Zoe gives her a cocky smile, crooked and cheesy, which the blonde responds to by sticking her tongue out in a toddler-ish fashion and folding her arms over her chest.

 

“You missed me,” Zoe teases. “Didn’t you?”

 

“Well, you kinda left me you know where, for years, so no, I don’t miss you. Asshole.”

 

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Zoe teases.

 

“Stop it. I hate you. I wish I could get away from you.” Madison turns away from Zoe and stares at the ground, bitterly looking into the smooth cement-like floor.

 

“Okay. I’ll leave you alone, then.”

 

The way Zoe says it isn’t hostile or vengeful. If anything, there’s a hint of subtle laughter in that threat, but she does leave Madison there. When Madison spins back around to tell her to stay—unsure of why—Zoe is gone, floating away into the mass of shoppers and employees alike.

 

Madison feels exposed and. . .empty. Hell ruined her. It’s ironic, because she was swarmed with people 24/7 in the underworld, but instead of wanting to be alone on earth, it frightens her. In a way, she was alone in hell. So, when she can’t see Zoe anymore, she panics.

 

“That bitch,” she curses, sprinting in the direction she last saw the honey-brown hair.

 

Despite Cordelia’s nagging of “no running”, Madison does just that, until she turns a corner and runs directly into a man pushing a shopping cart. The force lurches him forward a bit, and he whips around to glare at Madison.

 

“Watch where you’re going, you moron,” he says.

 

The old Madison would not hesitate to use a bit of telekinesis and send a gallon of milk flying towards this guy’s head. However, the new Madison freezes up. He reminds her so much of her manager down in hell. The hair, the eyes, the sneer.

 

She doesn’t apologize; she’s found that her brain is acting as if she’s had one too many ice cream cones and it’s frozen up. So she runs away instead, not once looking behind her. She’s sure she’s lost Zoe for good—or until it’s time to leave—by now.

 

It’s official: Madison is lost, immersed in this gigantic warehouse store. No Zoe or Cordelia in sight. It’s cold in this area; by the fridge of milk and cheese. Her eyes shift every which way, scanning for a whoosh of black fabric that signals Cordelia’s dress, or the faint scent of fruit that marks Zoe’s presence.

 

Peeking around the corner of the fridge, she notices honey-brown locks of silk draped delicately over a black shirt. The figure is all too familiar; Madison spends most of her days admiring Zoe from behind, and boy, does she have a good body.

 

“Gotcha!” Madison calls, tugging the hair around Zoe’s face.

 

“Ouch! That hurt!” Zoe says, smacking Madison’s hands away. “Thought you wanted to be alone.”

 

Madison chews her bottom lip and averts her gaze to the pallet of dog toys that idly rests on the end cap.

 

“I never said that,” she says.

 

“You said you wanted to get away from me.” Though Zoe reminds Madison with such firmness, there’s a shred of hurt there.

 

“I didn’t mean that.”

 

“Whatever you say,” Zoe says with a heartless shrug. “And I know that you’ve been staring.”

 

“What?” Madison sputters. “Staring at what?”

 

“Tell me, is my ass perfectly round, or does it have a weird shape to you?” Zoe questions, quite amused.

 

“Excuse me? How would I know?” Madison’s face turns an unholy shade of pink.

 

“Madison. . .”

 

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Madison admits.

 

“Mm-hm.”

 

A blanket of awkward silence falls upon them. Zoe resumes inspecting the dog toys, fiddling with the ears of a stuffed pig, squeaking it just loud enough for her to hear, before setting it back down. Madison watches. That’s all she ever does around Zoe.

 

“Is it almost time to go?” Zoe asks.

 

Madison checks her phone. “Nope. Fifteen minutes. Wanna go find Cordelia and put a whole bunch of shit in the cart to piss her off?”

 

Sharp pain manifests inside Zoe’s skull. Nodding only heightens it. Madison goes into the nearby isle of freezers and picks a box of popsicles at random. In a vain attempt to ignore the throbbing, Zoe grabs a bag of tortilla chips from a pallet and meets Madison in the middle.

 

They look both ways for their supreme, but she seems to have gone completely MIA. The crowds have somewhat alleviated since their arrival, but it’s still very difficult to play I Spy in a place so massive. Everyone looks the same in Zoe’s muddled brain.

 

“She would be in the most boring of places,” Madison suggests. The box of popsicles soothes her sweaty hands.

 

“Like where?”

 

“Fruit! She’s always complaining that we don’t eat enough fruit and that’s why I’m so pasty.”

 

Madison takes Zoe’s wrist in her hand and drags her to the produce section. They find Cordelia skimming over a bag of oranges. Her cart is home to only a few things; odd, considering she has to have enough to feed all of them tonight. Madison hands Zoe the box she’s been carrying.

 

Finger over her lips in a shushing gesture at Zoe, Madison tiptoes towards Cordelia from behind and pounces, gently pushing Cordelia forward as she shouts, “Boo!”

 

The bag of oranges slips from her hands and bursts open once it hits the floor, sending the fruit scattering around Cordelia’s feet in a colorful ring.

 

“Madison Montgomery, I swear to fucking—“ Cordelia angrily says, before becoming aware of two young children, who are staring in amusement, nearby. She softens her facial features before grabbing Madison’s arm and pulling her close to her face. “Pick them up. Now.”

 

Madison hastily complies, feeling unwanted attention on herself already, and gathers up the oranges. She puts them in the bag—though some are clearly bruised—and ties it up. Zoe observes, the edges of her eyes crinkling in mirth. A tiny smile tugs at her lips.

 

“I guess since you’ve dropped them, I’ll buy them, but you better believe that you’ll be eating these for days,” Cordelia says with a glare as she puts the now-lopsided bag in the cart next to the cinnamon raisin bagels.

 

Coming forward with the random items she and Madison took earlier, Zoe tries to avoid Cordelia’s lecture when she adds them to the cart.

 

However, it doesn’t go over so well.

 

“What is this stuff?” Cordelia snaps. “Seriously, this is why I never take anyone with me when I grocery shop. Look at this junk; ice cream pops and chips. I really hope you plan on eating all of this by yourselves. How much will this cost me? I bet it’s just going to sit on the counter for weeks until it expires and then it’s all a waste. And I’m gonna have to hear Coco complain about gluten in the house and how she’s making Mallory eat ‘clean’ although Mallory is clearly miserable. I swear, I feel like it’s always something. Oh, that reminds me. I need to get vitamins so Mallory doesn’t fucking die on this 800-calorie vegetarian diet.”

 

Zoe and Madison step away from Cordelia, slack-jawed. They glance at each other, then back at Cordelia, who’s already pushing her way to the other end of the section.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Madison questions in a whisper.

 

“Guess I’m not the only one with a monthly problem,” Zoe says with a shrug.

 

Madison’s phone buzzes in her pocket. Upon unlocking it, she finds Misty has been texting her. She rolls her eyes and locks it again. That swamp witch really can’t be alone for more than ten minutes at a time; it’s like she’s infantile and needy.

 

“I’m just ready to go home,” Zoe sighs, rubbing her swollen eyes. “I think I need a nap.”

 

“Aww, you don’t like being with me?” Madison teases. She pokes Zoe’s cheek.

 

“Stop provoking me. I’m very irritable.”

 

Madison giggles and gently tickles the place under Zoe’s chin, causing the latter to crinkle her nose. Zoe slaps Madison’s hand away and wraps her arms around herself, a sudden chill passing over her body.

 

“I enjoy getting a rise out of you,” says the blonde witch. “You’re so easy to tease.”

 

“Bite me.”

 

“See?”

 

Zoe would never confess it, but she enjoys when Madison pushes her buttons and pulls her strings. It gives her something else to do when she’s not teaching the girls or serving Cordelia’s ass all day. Not that she minds that either.

 

Madison feels the familiar vibrations again. She knows it’s Misty, and to be frank, she isn’t in the mood to deal with her right now, so she ignores it.

 

“Ugh, Swampy acts like such an invalid,” Madison scoffs.

 

“She’s not an invalid, she just doesn’t get some things sometimes,” Zoe says. “Why? Has she called you?”

 

“Yeah, she’s been calling and texting me. I haven’t seen any of them yet.”

 

“Maybe you should. Maybe something’s wrong,” Zoe suggests, her eyebrows meeting.

 

“Okay, we know she can be slow sometimes, but she’s not stupid. What could have possibly happened that she’s calling me?” Madison asks in disgust.

 

Just then, Cordelia returns with her cart full of ingredients. And a huge bottle of multivitamins.

 

“Let’s go. The kids are probably starving by now,” she says. “God, the lines are so long! We need to hurry before your ice cream melts.”

 

Zoe and Madison follow blindly behind their supreme to the checkout registers, dragging their feet. Cordelia turns around and glares at them.

 

“Pick it up! We have to get home!” she scolds.

 

Standing idly in line, the witches wait for their turn to unload their things onto the belt. Cordelia itches at her palm and chews her lip, as if watching a sand timer dissolve. Madison begins to fan herself while Zoe rocks back and forth on her heels. When their turn finally arrives, Madison moves to help Cordelia unload so they can leave quicker, and something hard slams into the back of her ankles. She lurches forward and uses her palms to break her fall.

 

“What the hell?!” she shouts from the floor.

 

Upon turning behind her, she finds a little boy with his grubby hands on a cart. He’s small and definitely alone—no adult in sight. Cordelia helps her up.

 

“Hey, kid, watch it!” Madison hisses.

 

“Maddie, he’s just a—“ Zoe is cut off by a woman marching over from the snack section.

 

“You talkin’ to my boy?” she tells Madison, getting close to the blonde’s face. “He wasn’t doing anything to you.”

 

“He literally just slammed that cart into my heels!”

 

By now, more than a few people have stopped to watch the scene unfold. Zoe begins to get uncomfortable by the attention, and taps Cordelia’s hand, a signal for her to stop fumbling around for her Costco card in her wallet and do something.

 

“Your son did hurt her,” Cordelia confirms to the woman. “He seems very young, so I won’t be angry at him. You, however, should have been here to watch him. So I think I need you need to apologize to her.”

 

“I don’t need to apologize. He didn’t do anything to her.” The woman picks up her son and deposits him inside the cart as she begins to push it away.

 

“You stupid—!” Madison spits as she walks away, but Cordelia puts a warm hand on her shoulder.

 

“Forget it, Madison. She’s a poor excuse for a parent. Let’s just finish up here. Are you alright?” Cordelia croons as she examines Madison’s exposed heels. “They aren’t bruised. I think you’re okay.”

 

By now, the cashier has finished scanning everything and is waiting for Cordelia to pull out some sort of payment. Frazzled, the supreme gets her credit card from her wallet and proceeds to pay, only to realize it’s the one she maxed out yesterday to repair the air conditioning system. She curses to herself and fishes through her purse for another.

 

Madison’s phone rings again but she doesn’t answer, too obsessed with rubbing her painful ankle. Zoe passes Cordelia and hangs onto their cart of stuff while the latter finally finds her unused credit card and pays. The cashier uninterestedly gets the receipt and bitterly tells them to have a nice day.

 

Cordelia pulls Zoe off the cart. “Move, honey, move. We still have to let them check it at the door.”

 

Madison limps behind them to the exit where they have to present their receipt to loss prevention. The elderly woman working the post smiles kindly and draws a happy face with pink highlighter on the receipt and gives it to Madison.

 

Despite everything that has happened today, Madison can’t stifle the smile that tugs across her face. Cordelia mouths “thank you” to the woman and pushes the cart out into the warm atmosphere. Upon returning to the car, Cordelia pops the trunk and starts loading the groceries.

 

After getting everything into the car, Zoe drags the cart into the corral a few feet away and then gets back into the passenger seat of Cordelia’s car. Her stomach hurts, and she feels like something is wrong.

 

“That was an adventure,” Cordelia sighs, flicking on the AC. “I just want to go back to the academy and unwind. Lord knows what Misty is up to right now.”

 

Madison and Zoe nod in agreement. They’re both exhausted, and the sexual tension between them is almost unbearable. Though, Zoe is pretty sure that Madison won’t shy away from making a move on her. It’s just another problem for another day.

 

When they return home, they are met with a commotion coming from the kitchen. Cordelia throws her keys on the end table, pulls her hair back, and runs towards the room, Zoe and Madison hot on her heels.

 

“Water! Water!” someone screams. “Hurry, Miss Queenie!”

 

Cordelia bursts in, only to be greeted with a cloud of smoke. She coughs and waves the air to clear the haze. Queenie is holding an empty jug over the open oven while her small class of seven students watches in horror. Faintly, Cordelia can see Misty with her own class cowering away in the corner.

 

“My god! What the hell happened?!” Cordelia cries.

 

“I was teaching my class when I heard the smoke alarm go off. I came in here to find your meatloaf on fire! Where the hell were you?!” Queenie asks.

 

“I was at Costco! I told Misty to watch the meatloaf!” Cordelia looks to the swamp witch, who’s now flinching away in shame. Her face softens just a tad.

 

“I’m sorry, Delia! I was busy teachin’ and my mind just wandered off!” Misty says. “I tried calling Madison, but she never answered. I’m sorry.”

 

Cordelia holds her hand up to silence the woman’s pleads for forgiveness. “It’s alright, Misty.” She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. “Queenie, how bad is it?”

 

“On a scale of barely edible to can’t-even-tell-it-was-food, I’d say pretty bad.”

 

“Fine. Just toss it out. Girls, classes are dismissed. I’m going to unload our groceries for dinner. Go get ready. We’re going out for lunch,” Cordelia announces.

 

Everyone cheers and runs upstairs. Madison absentmindedly scratches her palm and avoids looking at Cordelia and Misty. Zoe gives her the side-eye.

 

“Why is everyone looking at me?” Madison asks.

 

“Girl, all of this shit could’ve been avoided if you answered your damn phone! The house could’ve burned down!” Queenie says.

 

“Consider it an improvement,” Madison replies as her eyes do a roll that Cordelia hates so damn much.

 

“Madison, listen here,” Cordelia says. “I am not in the mood for any attitude right now. I have a headache from the smoke and it’s just not the right day to make me angry. I want you to go outside and unload the groceries before we leave.”

 

Preparing to sputter back a retort, Madison stomps her foot. Cordelia quirks an eyebrow, challenging Madison, and Madison can’t help but to back down; in all candor, she doesn’t like when Cordelia yells at her.

 

“Fine,” Madison huffs, spinning on her heel and walking to the front door.

 

Misty chews on her bitten fingernails. “I’m so sorry, Delia. I tried callin’ her to ask if I should take it out or not.”

 

Cordelia gently squeezes the swamp witch’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Nobody was hurt, and that’s all I care about.”

 

Cordelia opens a window to relieve the smoke, wafting it out with a hand towel. Madison brings in the first of the groceries and sets them on the table with a loud, dramatic sigh.

 

“Come on, Zoe. Help me. It’s so hot and I don’t want to sweat in my clothes,” Madison says. Zoe continues to stare at the whiteboard. “Sabrina!”

 

“Huh?” Zoe snaps out of her dazed trance to look at the shorter woman.

 

“Help me.”

 

“Oh. Uh. . .give me a second.”

 

Rolling her eyes, Madison begins her walk back to the car, slipping her sunglasses over her eyes to block the blinding sunlight. Zoe fidgets with her pinkie finger and bites her lip. Her headache grows.

 

“Cordelia, I. . .forgot to get my. . .essentials. I’m out,” Zoe whispers, using a subtle nod of her head to gesture to the whiteboard.

 

Smiling fondly at Zoe, Cordelia strokes her cheek with her thumb. “Never fear, Zoe. I’m a woman, too. I have a brand new box in my bathroom. Take as many as you need, okay? And please help Madison before she has a fit out there. I’ll try and get the smell out of the house before we leave.”

 

Zoe grins up at her, grateful and relieved. Suddenly, the spreading ache begins to shrink. Cordelia kisses the girl’s forehead and gently pushes her between the shoulder blades towards the door.

 

The pan of burnt meat sits on the stovetop. Cordelia goes to inspect the damage, and sighs, shaking her head.

 

“You poor thing,” she tells it. “You look exactly how I feel right now.”


	4. School’s Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time ever, Cordelia sends the witches away for summer break. Zoe doesn’t like it.

Cordelia shuts the blinds of her office to block the scorching sunlight obstructing her view of the two witches sitting opposite her desk. She returns to her seat and absentmindedly glides over her desktop calendar with a capped pen. She tugs at the collar of her shirt to allow some cool air in.

 

“What do you think we should do this summer, girls?” Cordelia inquires, glancing up at Zoe and Queenie, who are looking at everything else except her. “It’s June and we’ve not planned any field trips or summer classes. It’s been very hectic around here lately, so we need to develop some structure before it gets out of hand.”

 

“I say we draw straws over who has to watch the young witches while the rest of us take a vacation,” Queenie suggests.

 

Zoe’s nose crinkles. A vacation? Without her students? Never.

 

“Zoe? What’s that face?” Cordelia asks, somewhat amused. Her lips crinkle at the sides as she smiles.

 

“We can’t take a vacation; we are here to watch and teach the witches. We can’t leave without them. Who would stay? No one else would sacrifice their summer to take care of the house and the girls,” Zoe explains. “A vacation would be nice, but it’s not probable. We have too many students and they can’t be alone for more than a day.”

 

Cordelia hums in response, creating a scrap plan in her mind. Both Zoe and Queenie make equal sense. They’ve worked nonstop for almost a year without a break longer than a weekend or major holiday. No one in this coven takes a vacation without suffering the consequences of the witches’ unsupervised fun. Cordelia has since stopped trying to leave, because she’s aware that the aftermath isn’t worth it.

 

“What about a field trip?” Cordelia asks.

 

“Madison and I just took them on one, remember? We went to the park last Saturday and Madison came back sunburnt and I’d periodically lost one of the girls on our way back?” Zoe says.

 

Cordelia’s eyebrows raise. “You lost one of the girls?”

 

“. . .No, of course not.” Zoe looks away, averting her gaze to the picture of a willow tree Cordelia has hung on the wall.

 

Giving a little “hmph” of disapproval, Cordelia scratches “field trip” off her list. Queenie drums her nails against the wooden desk while she watches the world pass by through the only window Cordelia left open. A small school bus rumbles by.

 

“Wait a second,” Queenie says. “I got an idea. Why don’t we just send them off for summer, like the regular schools do? We can inform the parents and the witches that we’re taking the summer off and no classes will be held. These people pay rooming and tuition monthly, I don’t think any of them would turn down two or three months of not having to pay.”

 

Briefly, Cordelia considers it. Though she wouldn’t be raking in as much money, it wouldn’t matter, because she wouldn’t have any witches to feed or spend money on. She managed before the Miss Robichaux’s was ever popular; they did just fine back then. Perhaps it’s time to return to that state of peace, for a little while.

 

“Cordelia?” Zoe asks. “You would really send them away for the summer? Some of them don’t have families that would take them back.”

 

“You make a good point, Zoe. But, they don’t have to leave if they have nowhere to go, or if they would rather spend all summer here doing nothing. I don’t believe in just kicking people out of a home, no matter what. We could inform them that classes will be out. For the minors, we could call their parents and have them pick them up once we set a date to release them, which should be very soon. What do you think?” Cordelia suggests.

 

As much as she desires a long vacation or even a hot bubble bath without someone shouting “Miss Zoe!” once she’s settled into it, Zoe doesn’t want them to leave. She’s been part of the council and a teacher for years without a break as big as this; it’s like breathing to her. She’s managed all these years without so much as asking for time off. Why would she intentionally give up something she’s so used to?

 

On the other hand, Queenie agrees wholeheartedly with Cordelia. The two converse and brainstorm ideas back and forth while Zoe sulks and imagines a world without her students there to greet her every morning. It’s change. It’s horrifying.

 

“It’s settled, then,” Cordelia announces, tapping her desk. “I’ll start making phone calls, and tonight at dinner, we can tell everyone.”

 

Zoe’s mouth finds its way into a pucker, like she’s just tasted something bitter. Taking notice of the girl’s expression, Cordelia raises her eyebrow.

 

“What’s the matter with you?” Cordelia asks. “Don’t you want a break?”

 

“No way! I love them and I don’t want them to go!” Zoe cries, folding her arms over her chest. “This is my passion. Teaching is all I know.”

 

“My god, calm the hell down,” Queenie scoffs. “We aren’t shutting the coven down. It’s summer break. They’ll be back late August or early September. Chill.”

 

“So what am I supposed to do for almost three entire months? I barely can find enough things to do for a weekend,” replies the brunette witch as she toes at the floor with her foot.

 

“Maybe you can take this time to sort out your sexual tension with Madison.” Queenie laughs, and it pisses Zoe right off.

 

“I’ve told you, I don’t have feelings for her!”

 

“Yes, you do! You’re always staring at her and making these gross heart eyes every time her stupid ass walks in the room! Face it, girl; you’re whipped,” Queenie says.

 

At this point, it feels as if Zoe is a dog and Queenie is dangling a raw steak over her head. She’s totally baiting and bullshitting her, but Zoe feeds into it every time. What she feels for Madison is none of Queenie’s business, and as much as she enjoys the voodoo witch’s company, Zoe absolutely despises her teasing about the blonde witch Zoe may or may not have unwanted feelings for.

 

She has to fight back.

 

“I do not like Madison! I don’t know where you got that from!”

 

Cordelia slams her hand against the desk, startling Zoe into silence. The younger woman hangs her head, both ashamed of her outburst and sheepish that what Queenie is claiming might be true.

 

“That is enough,” Cordelia states as her stare hardens. Though her glare is fierce, her voice remains gentle. “Zoe, I know you love teaching the witches, but I think a break is good for everyone. I will hold the girls’ spots so they can return any time they like, as long as it’s before our new school year begins. Once they return, you’ll see that everything will be back to normal. Nothing changes just because we take a break. We are still a coven.”

 

Despite wanting to argue her points, Zoe closes her mouth and meekly nods. Who is she to argue with her supreme? It seems Cordelia has made her final decision, anyway. How retched.

 

“It’s settled. I’ll start making calls today. The witches will be gone—if they choose—by Sunday. End of meeting.” Cordelia shuffles her papers and slams her desk drawer shut, signaling her confirmation that it’s over.

 

It’s similar to being in court; once the judge bangs her gavel, your point is moot. Zoe collects herself and leaves the office in a swift motion, head up and wet eyes trained forward to give the impression that she’s not hurt by Cordelia’s decision.

 

It’s going to be a very long, hot summer.

 

+++

 

Surprised is understatement. Cordelia is absolutely stupefied that her coven took the news very well. In fact, it was met with cheers and laughter and hugs all around, though a few select witches—Zoe—were disheartened and sulked like petulant children.

 

However, Saturday, the first day of summer break for the coven, arrives quicker than anyone had anticipated. Most of the witches will be going home to their families for the majority of the hottest time of year. The very few who have no one to go home to remain in the coven with hanged heads and sorrowed expressions as they watch the rest walk downstairs with their suitcases.

 

Cordelia wedges a door stopper under the front door to let the heat in without the door freely creaking closed. Zoe approaches Cordelia, her eyes turned downwards.

 

“Zoe, please cheer up,” says Cordelia as she gently strokes her cheek. “It’s only ten weeks. It’s okay.”

 

“I’m going to miss them,” she whispers. “That’s such a long time.”

 

“I know you will. I will, too. But this is for the best, so try and perk up a little. This summer will fly by. You’ll see.” Cordelia looks beyond the front yard and hears the familiar sound of car engines coming to slow. “Here they come. Put a smile on your face, girl.”

 

The gates of Miss Robichaux’s are wide open, and two cars parallel park almost at the exact same time. Out of the white Cadillac comes an older couple—maybe early 50s—who ascend the steps to greet Cordelia and Zoe.

 

“Welcome back,” Cordelia says with a friendly smile, extending her arm for a handshake. “I see quite a lot of faces; remind me which little lady belongs to you.”

 

The woman returns the smile and takes Cordelia’s hand. “We’re here for Angel. I certainly hope you weren’t fooled by her name; she’s hell on earth. Excuse my language.”

 

Zoe flinches. Angel is a prized student of hers, a real gifted necromancer. She’s no Mallory, but she definitely has a special something that accompanies her green eyes and tanned skin and curly hair. She’s a true witch of many talents at only seventeen years of age, and Zoe would never consider her “hellish” at all. Especially having a taste of real hell. That’s just callous.

 

“Oh, that’s right!” Cordelia exclaims. “She was the one who trapped a rat and let it loose in our greenhouse last month! Despite that incident, she’s a wonderful young lady. Come inside. She should be waiting for you.”

 

Cordelia moves aside, allowing the couple inside the house. Zoe doesn’t budge from her post in the foyer. Instead she continues to look at her feet. After Angel’s parents enter and Angel comes running into the room to throw her arms around them, Cordelia snaps her fingers at Zoe, making the latter look up at her.

 

“Enough of the sulking. You should be happy that they are reunited with their families. This is very unlike you, and I don’t like it,” says the supreme in a whisper. “If you do not stop it, you can go upstairs until they’re gone. Spare yourself the pain of watching them leave. I mean it, Zoe. Here comes someone else. I am giving you a choice. You either present yourself in a professional manner, or you go to your room. Your choice.”

 

Zoe puts on her metaphorical big-girl panties and marches to the door just in time to meet a dark-haired woman in expensive workout clothes with a young boy of about seven years old holding her hand. He’s whining about it being too hot, and that he’s missing SpongeBob.

 

Without asking or confirming, Zoe smiles and nods once at the woman. “Talia is waiting for you. She’s so excited to see you again. Please come in.”

 

“Thank you,” says the woman as she tugs the boy along by his hand. She marvels at the decor. “Gosh, has the house gotten bigger? I don’t hear much. It has a totally different aura.”

 

Cordelia chuckles to herself. “No, just quieter. It’s our first year providing summer break. Everyone is ready to get out of here. Maybe that’s what you are feeling.”

 

Zoe is unsure if that was a subtle attempt at rubbing salt in her wounds, but it hurts all the same. The pain hits her even harder when Talia comes downstairs and wraps her brother in a tight bear hug. Her mother fusses over her and touches her braid that Madison did for her this morning, cooing at her like she’s an infant. It’s sickening.

 

Angel’s parents gather her luggage and bring her to the front door to say goodbye to Cordelia and Zoe. Cordelia receives it with gratitude and grace, assuring the young witch that her spot and room are saved for when she returns in late August. When it’s time for Zoe’s turn to say goodbye, she can feel her passion growing stronger and then withering away just as fast. She makes the hug last, almost crushing Angel to death.

 

It takes Cordelia’s strength to pull Zoe off of the poor girl. Angel leaves the coven a little rustled, but warm, nonetheless.

 

Talia’s goodbye is even more difficult. She wraps Zoe in a hug at her waist and squeezes her tightly.

 

“Bye, Miss Zoe!” Talia says, beaming up at the older witch. “Don’t be sad. I’ll be back first thing! I promise!”

 

Fuck, that really does pull at her heartstrings. Zoe can barely muster the courage to pat her head.

 

Cordelia brings the tiny girl into a hug. “You be good this summer, okay?”

 

Talia nods. “I will. Bye, Miss Cordelia!”

 

Zoe can’t watch anymore; she takes Cordelia’s advice and goes to her room, but on her own volition.

 

+++

 

By noon, half the coven is gone. The house is about as still as it was when it had only six members. In the foyer are suitcases with tags attached; only eight witches are remaining to leave by the end of the day. Most of the families wasted no time in retrieving their kids, and the ones who could leave without permission, did so as soon as Cordelia opened her eyes.

 

Cordelia coaxes Zoe out of her and Madison’s bedroom when she’s finished preparing a small lunch. The youthful witch leaves her room with puffy eyes, and leans up against the doorframe. God, she’s worse than a lost puppy.

 

“Zoe, you don’t have to cry about it,” Cordelia gently says. “They will be back right before fall. Most of them even told me to my face that they’ll return.”

 

“It’s not that I’m afraid they won’t come back,” Zoe sniffles.

 

“Then what is it? You’re really breaking my heart here, Zoe,” Cordelia laughs softly, trying to get Zoe to do the same, but she’s met with more tears. “Alright. Come sit. We need to talk.”

 

Cordelia pushes her way into the bedroom and sits on Madison’s bed, pulling Zoe next to her. Initially, Zoe can’t look her supreme in the eye. Embarrassment doesn’t look good on her.

 

“What’s really bothering you?” Cordelia questions, using her “motherly inside-voice” technique.

 

Wiping away at her cheeks, Zoe sniffles again and pulls her legs up to her chest. “My family doesn’t want me back. They don’t even want to see me for a weekend. I guess. . .I wish I had somewhere to go. That’s why I care about my work so much, about teaching. Because it’s all I have in life. Without teaching and without the witches, I have nothing. This is so scary. It’s the first time in years that I have nothing.”

 

Cordelia feels the familiar tug of loneliness. She remembers when she had nothing; she remembers when Fiona dropped her off at the gates, leaving her with Myrtle—rest her beloved soul. That emptiness never truly leaves; it’s there. Raw.

 

“Zoe, as long as you are a part of this coven, you will always have something,” says Cordelia. “I promise you that. Your blood family may not want you to visit, but they are not us. You have family here. You are a witch, a council member, and a teacher. You mean the world to this coven. And that pain of missing your family and wanting to be accepted by them may never leave you, but at least you know that you have us with you by your side and that we love you no matter what.”

 

Zoe puts her head on Cordelia’s shoulder, and cries there. Cordelia remains unflinching, trapped in her own memories.

 

Beyond the tears and hurt lies something else in Zoe. Gratefulness. Compassion. Love. Be it her magical senses tingling or her motherly instincts kicking in, Cordelia can feel it all, and it weighs heavily upon her shoulders. How can she pick this little witch up when she herself has not yet completely healed from her own abandonment?

 

“I wish they would at least try,” Zoe hiccups. “I wish they cared enough. Even my grandmother agrees it’s not good for me to return for a visit. My aunt has a daughter; she’s seven. And they don’t want me there because they think I’ll tell her something about our history, about witchcraft. They think I’m bad for her.”

 

Cordelia hugs Zoe tighter. “You aren’t bad for anyone. You love all the witches and only want what’s best for them. You don’t want them to be surprised and find out that they’re magical only when tragedy strikes, because you know how it feels. You have their best interest at heart.”

 

“I think I was upset that everyone else had family come for them, or they had family waiting for them somewhere. Parents drove from states away just to get their kids, some of the girls bought plane tickets to leave. Whatever it took to be home again. I don’t have that,” Zoe says. “They are all I have, and I have no idea what to do without them.”

 

“Zoe, you have a home, right here. This is your home. And nothing hurts more than your family discarding you. But the best part is that you can create your own family. This sounds really damn corny, but family isn’t just who birthed you and who you share DNA with; it’s who you love.” Cordelia gives Zoe’s shoulder a squeeze.

 

Zoe laughs. “That was very corny. But I like it.”

 

“See? You’re already feeling better,” Cordelia says. “You’ll be okay. Just wait. You’ll find something to do this summer, and you’ll miss the peace once they come back for the new school year. God knows I already don’t miss the screeching.”

 

Sniffling one more time to rid herself of her congestion, Zoe smiles. Her cheeks are red and her eyelids are swollen, but she’s still absolutely adorable. She wraps her arms around Cordelia and buries her face in her chest.

 

There goes the oxytocin rushing to Cordelia’s brain again.

 

“Oh, how I love you, little witch,” Cordelia sighs as she rubs her back. “You can be a real pain in my ass, but I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

They stay that way for a few minutes, until they’re interrupted by the doorbell chiming. Although she knows she should remove herself from Cordelia, Zoe keeps her grip on her. Letting go hurts too much right now.

 

The doorbell rings again, and as Cordelia moves to gently pull Zoe away, Madison storms down the hall.

 

“Am I the fucking servant in this house or what?! Am I stuck with this shit all summer?! God damn!”

 

Absentmindedly playing with Zoe’s hair, Cordelia sighs to herself. “Yeah, you are all worth everything to me.”

 

+++

 

Three-quarters of the coven is gone by nightfall. Zoe’s tears have stopped for the most part, and she’s found herself curled up on the backyard porch swing with Cordelia. They’re both in weather-appropriate pajamas, which is very strange. Neither of them are seen outside of their black and white formal attire, but dress code is basically nonexistent for the entire season.

 

“When did Misty hang that wind chime?” Zoe asks Cordelia, pointing to the star and moon wind chime hooked on the edge of the roof.

 

Cordelia gingerly sways them using her bare feet. She shrugs. “A couple weeks ago. She said she was tired of hearing only birds chirping while she’s gardening, so she hung it up. Now she thinks it’s annoying but still won’t take it down.”

 

“I like it.”

 

“I do, too,” Cordelia agrees.

 

The atmosphere is warm, and so are Cordelia and Zoe. They’re full as well. Cordelia took the remaining witches out for dinner this evening, because she was too lazy to make yet another homemade meal after greeting people and comforting Zoe all day, with many goodbyes mixed in.

 

Though she’s mostly stuffed, Cordelia gets a sudden craving for something sweet. She looks to Zoe, who is staring out into space.

 

“I feel like a glutton, but I think I want ice cream,” Cordelia says. “Do you want a bowl?”

 

“If you don’t mind.”

 

Cordelia pats Zoe’s hand and goes inside through their backdoor. She opens the freezer door and scans it for the recognizable carton of cookie dough ice cream she stashed here. When she can’t find it, she closes it and sucks in one cheek.

 

When she figures someone else must’ve gotten to it, she begins to go back outside to break the news to Zoe, but she’s stopped by a strangled hiccup somewhere in the room. Listening carefully, Cordelia follows the sound and is led to the pantry. With her hairs stood on end, she opens the pantry door, half expecting to find an intruder.

 

It’s far from an intruder. It’s Mallory, curled up on the floor, with Cordelia’s ice cream in her lap. She’s shoveling it in as tears stream down her face.

 

“Mallory? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Cordelia asks as she kneels down.

 

Mallory stuffs her face with yet another spoonful, mumbling something incoherent. Cordelia’s eyebrows furrow. She’s prepared to ask her again, but is cut short by Madison entering the room.

 

“Cordelia, where’s the—“ Madison halts when she sees Mallory in her crumpled state. “What the hell?”

 

Cordelia ignores the other blonde, returning her attention to the crying girl. “Mallory, what’s wrong?”

 

Again, she can only mumble something over a mouthful of cookie dough ice cream.

 

“What?” Cordelia asks.

 

“She said she’s sad that Coco left to be with her parents in Tokyo for two weeks. Are you deaf?” Madison asks.

 

“Madison, not helping,” Cordelia warns, then softens. “I’m sorry, Mallory. But it’s only two weeks. She’ll be back. And everything will be back to normal, okay?”

 

Mallory sobs. Cordelia sighs and pries the carton out of her little hands. After some convincing, she manages to get Mallory out of the pantry. The younger witch is still crying, but not as hard, when Cordelia helps her up. Madison picks up the ice cream and puts it on the counter.

 

“My god, you girls really know how to give me a run for my money,” Cordelia says as she holds Mallory in an embrace.

 

The door squeaks open, revealing Zoe, who is scratching at her fresh bug bites she received in her hour outside with Cordelia. She stops at the sight of Cordelia practically rocking Mallory to comfort her for whatever reason.

 

“Is she okay?” Zoe wonders aloud.

 

“She’s fine. I think we’re all a little high-strung. We had a busy day,” Cordelia says in that oddly soothing voice that puts even Madison at ease. “How about we all just enjoy what’s left of the ice cream and then turn in for the night? Hm? A good night’s rest will do the trick.”

 

“Queenie and Misty are already asleep,” Madison snorts. “What losers.”

 

Cordelia doesn’t even give her a warning for that comment; she’s too tired and focused on making Mallory feel the slightest bit better, even in Coco’s painful absence.

 

“Come on, dry your face,” Cordelia says to Mallory, wiping a hot tear with her thumb. “You will feel better tomorrow. I promise.”

 

“I’ll get the spoons,” Madison announces as she fishes around in the dishwasher for utensils.

 

“I’ll get bowls,” Zoe says.

 

All four witches sit at the table, each with a bowl and spoon, and Cordelia gives them three scoops of ice cream in turn, ensuring that they each have a fair amount. (However, Mallory does get a little more.)

 

“This reminds me of summer,” Madison says, licking the ice cream off her spoon. “Forget the beach and sunbathing. Ice cream is the real taste of summer.”

 

A few hums of agreement are given, and Cordelia smiles. Though she’s beginning to feel a sort of “empty nest” syndrome with most of her witches gone, she also feels complete with the ones that are here, right now. Their presence is enough to make her happy.

 

Not only is Cordelia aware that she is a very lucky woman, she is also aware of the major “heart eyes” Zoe is sending towards Madison from across the table.

 

Oh, what a fun summer this will be.


	5. Little Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madison is playing around in the greenhouse and drinks one of Cordelia’s potions. Little does she know, it’s a faulty potion that turns her into a four-year-old trapped in a woman’s body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A guest (Hannah) said they’d love to see an age-regressed Madison. I thought it was a perfect idea! This chapter is longer than usual, but I’ve been building on it for weeks, and it’s finally done! I have plenty more to come (as soon as I get to writing). 
> 
> —Sincerely, Sierra

Summer break isn’t all what Cordelia was hoping it would be. She continues to cook and clean and be maid and mother to the coven, only to a much smaller amount of them. And it’s much hotter and more humid. It has not even been two weeks and she can safely say that summer is dead to her. 

 

Droplets of sweat drip down Cordelia’s back. She used to be accustomed to the scorching summer heat of the greenhouse when she works on her potions, but something in the climate—the devil, perhaps—has caused the thermometer to peak at 102 degrees.

 

Cordelia admires her filled test tube and taps it so the clear liquid ripples. It’s very uncertain if this new potion will work; she’s not dabbled in potion-craft very much since becoming the supreme. Taking care of the girls and the house and attending meetings on top of it has hindered her time to do this hobby she once loved.

 

The glass feels foreign to her after all these years. It’s colder, more intimidating. She’s been working on this potion for three days and has yet to perfect the consistency and color. It’s unfortunate; she used to have the ability to create the perfect potion for happiness in four hours flat, but now she barely manages to make an herbal tea when one of the witches is sick.

 

Supremacy improved her in many aspects and destroyed her in others. Potions and chemistry aren’t her forte anymore, just like peace and quiet are strangers to her.

 

The sweltering heat frustrates Cordelia even more than her inability to complete her potion does. It’s been three days. She has to get this right soon or else she will deem herself a failure. Sure, she might die of a heatstroke out here, but Misty will bring her back.

 

The coven’s beloved black cat, Shadow, jumps onto Cordelia’s workbench and knocks over a—thankfully empty—tube. It shatters, causing Cordelia to shriek.

 

“Shadow! Bad kitty! Down!” She lifts him up and puts him by her feet, which he circles and rubs up against using his silky tail. “Oh, it’s so hot! I need some water. And a broom. You be good and no more getting on my workbench!”

 

Shadow purrs, unbothered by her scolding, and lays down under the table instead to bathe himself. Cordelia clicks her tongue and pours her half-done potion into a beaker.

 

Inside the house, Madison and Queenie are laughing about something while Mallory sits by idly. She poor girl has been missing Coco’s company more than a starving dog misses food. Despite everyone’s attempts to lift her spirits, Mallory can’t seem to force herself to be happy.

 

“—And so I told him to piss off. I’m sick of dick that doesn’t last,” Madison tells Queenie.

 

“Girl, you’re sick of dick, period,” Queenie replies. “That’s why it never works out for you.”

 

Cordelia pretends she hears absolutely nothing in this conversation as she pours herself a glass of water.

 

“You’re still a virgin, so I wouldn’t talk if I were you,” Madison tells the voodoo witch.

 

"And you can’t find dick because you’re actually a little sapphic bitch, so shut the fuck up.” Queenie threateningly taps her hand with a fork.

 

Mallory scratches her mosquito bites and shrinks down into her seat. “Guys, you told me you were trying to make me feel better. I’m very uncomfortable. I feel like the ugly duckling.”

 

Madison rolls her eyes. “Well, you are.”

 

Cordelia polishes off her water and pulls her long hair back. “Madison, that’s enough. Do me a favor. I was creating a potion, and Shadow broke one of my test tubes. It’s so hot out there and I need a break. Will you take the broom and go clean it up for me?”

 

Madison folds her arms and leans back in her chair, crossing one leg daintily over the other. Her pink lips form a smug smile and she dramatically hums.

 

“I don’t know. What’s in it for me?” she questions.

 

“You get to live in this house and eat decent food for another day. Now go on.” Cordelia grabs the broom and shoves it in her left hand, then shoves the dust pan in the other. “And do not touch my potions or anything on my workbench.”

 

Cordelia half expects Madison to drop the cleaning supplies and run upstairs to lock herself in her bedroom and avoid her for the rest of the day, but the younger blonde actually obeys Cordelia, for once. She treks down the marble stone path that leads to the greenhouse, dragging the broom and dustpan along with her. Of course she cusses to herself the entire time, but she has enough sense to realize that Cordelia’s done enough for her to earn a little assistance.

 

Shadow is now fast asleep on the floor next to his bowl of water. Madison carefully sweeps the shards into the dustpan. After only a few minutes of being in the greenhouse, she begins to sweat. Her mouth goes bone dry, and she’s almost tempted to drink the cat’s water.

 

“Fuck, it’s hot,” Madison pants.

 

She throws the shards and dust into the trash can next to Cordelia’s workbench. A glimmer catches her attention. Her eyes fixate on the beaker of transparent fluid Cordelia left there. Why did Cordelia go inside for water when she had some right here? That’s just stupid.

 

Madison takes the beaker and sniffs it; it’s definitely water. It’s odorless and stale. She tips it into her mouth as her dehydration expands. It’s oddly a bit sweet, but not bitter. Cordelia must’ve added some sugar or flavoring to wake herself up. “Horrible” isn’t the right word to describe it, but neither is “pleasant”.

 

As soon as she sets the now-empty beaker down, Madison feels a sharp tingling sensation spread through her entire body. She goes completely numb, and before she can even wonder what is happening or why the room is spinning, she hits the floor, out cold.

 

Shadow cracks an eye open, purrs, and goes back to sleep.

 

 

+++

 

“Where is Madison?” Zoe asks as Cordelia sets the breakfast table with plates. “I haven’t seen her since one this afternoon. It’s five already.”

 

In all honesty, Cordelia forgot that Madison was cleaning up the mess in the greenhouse after the cat broke her test tube. The girl has been out there for hours, probably secretly petting Shadow or reading a not-so-secret spell book. It may be hot, but Madison shows more skin than anyone here; she’s fine in the heat.

 

“She was in the greenhouse last time I saw her,” Cordelia replies. “She could’ve come inside and I didn’t see.”

 

“I haven’t heard her complaining or yelling at me in awhile.” Zoe lays down a spoon. “I hate when she yells at me. Like, I’m right here, why does she need to yell?”

 

“That’s her nature, Zoe,” Cordelia chuckles. “She’s been that way as long as I’ve known her. You can’t exactly change a behavior like that. I’ve tried.”

 

Misty enters, cutting the conversation short. She opens the fridge and inspects the ingredients inside, humming randomly when she sees something she thinks she might like, but then it doesn’t feel all that appealing.

 

“What’s for dinner?” the swamp witch questions. “I’m starvin’ to death.”

 

“Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans,” Cordelia says over her shoulder. “It’s my own recipe, not fast food. I don’t think you’ve ever had it before. Zoe and Madison love it.”

 

Misty prepares to counter that she tries to stick to a vegetarian diet, but a strangled mewling interrupts her. She looks at their backdoor and finds Shadow‘s black paws sliding underneath the door. Sighing, she opens the door, only to find the cat meowing loudly with wide and alarmed yellow eyes.

 

“What’s wrong with ya now? I just put out treats for you.” Misty pokes his wet nose, but he continues to whine. “What is it? I’m hungry!”

 

A habitual instinct tells Misty to follow the cat when he stands up and trots along the path with his tail in the air. He leads her into the greenhouse and around the table. Misty gasps when she finds Madison on the floor, completely passed out.

 

“Cordelia! Cordelia! Zoe!” Misty cries out as she kneels down before the young witch and touches her face. She’s warm, which is a good sign.

 

Misty tried to wake Madison by gently slapping her cheeks and shaking her. She doesn’t move. She is still breathing, so at least Misty doesn’t have to utilize her most famous power just yet, but she fears it’s soon if she can’t wake her up.

 

Cordelia and Zoe run into the room, and Cordelia almost screams in shock and horror. Zoe stands still, her blood running cold in her veins.

 

“What happened?!” Cordelia cries as she kneels next to Misty.

 

“I don’t know; Shadow brought me in here. That’s why he was whining!” Misty talks fast and rushed as she lifts Madison’s head up. “She’s alive, but there’s no tellin’ when she passed out. We need to get her inside. It’s too hot.”

 

Nodding, Cordelia rises up to let Misty get Madison up. She looks at her workbench.

 

“Oh shit. She drank my potion!”

 

Misty’s eyebrow raises. “Potion? For what? What does it do?”

 

“I. . .didn’t get that far yet.”

 

Something wakes Zoe up. Her face goes red. “So you left a fucking potion that could be dangerous just out in the open?!”

 

“I specifically told her not to touch anything in my work area. She knows better,” Cordelia defends.

 

Misty picks Madison up; the girl is surprisingly very lightweight in her arms. She’s limp and fragile in the swamp witch’s hold, and it hurts Cordelia to think that she caused this.

 

“How much did she drink?” Zoe asks.

 

Cordelia picks the glass up and examines it before swallowing hard. “All of it.”

 

+++

 

With Misty’s help, Cordelia managed to get Madison upstairs and into her bedroom. Now, Madison is laying on her bed without any covers, a cool and damp cloth on her forehead to wick away the sweat and heat. She doesn’t seem to be sick or harmed by whatever potion Cordelia whipped up awhile ago.

 

Zoe sits nearby, on her and Madison’s desk chair. She absentmindedly chews her fingernails—or what’s left of them—as she watches Cordelia and Misty fuss over the unconscious young woman.

 

“I shouldn’t have left that potion there without knowing what it does,” sighs Cordelia as she sits on the edge of Madison’s bed and takes her hand. “This is my fault.”

 

“No it ain’t,” Misty says. “You told her not to touch anything on your work table. She did anyway and look what happened.”

 

“I’m so lucky most of the girls are gone. This could’ve been one of them,” Cordelia says.

 

Zoe springs up on her feet. “So you don’t care because it’s Madison?”

 

“When did I say that? I never said anything like that,” Cordelia replies. “If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be worried about her. I have no idea why you’re acting so protective of her all of a sudden. You two cannot stand each other on a normal day.”

 

“That is not true!”

 

Misty steps between them to cut the building conflict. She holds her arms out, putting a safe distance between them so Zoe doesn’t throttle their supreme in a blinding rage. She turns to Zoe and grabs her by the shoulders.

 

“Okay, lets go downstairs and have dinner. Hollywood over there will be just fine, and I’m here if something happens. Let’s go. Right now” She starts pushing the younger witch to the door by her back, sending Cordelia a warning look over her shoulder as she exits.

 

Cordelia sighs to herself. When she is sure she’s alone, she leans down and kisses Madison’s cheek.

 

“I’m so sorry, Madison.”

 

She leaves the girl alone, guilt weighing on her shoulders like a bag of rocks and lead.

 

+++

 

If Madison’s not woken up yet, it may be time to revert to plan B, whatever that is. Cordelia was hoping Misty would be plan Z. However, the supreme will judge it when she bothers to check on Madison again.

 

Misty is keeping Zoe busy and “entertained” by a lovely mixtape of Stevie Nicks in a vain attempt to distract her from the fact that Madison is laying upstairs and could be at death’s door thanks to a faulty potion of Cordelia’s.

 

While Misty twirls gracefully to the music in their den and Zoe watches her, Cordelia sneaks upstairs to Madison’s room. She peeks inside, her heart racing. Much to Cordelia’s relief, Madison is sitting upright on her bed with her back facing the door. The red cloth Misty placed on her head is now on the nightstand.

 

“Thank god,” Cordelia breathes as she fully enters.

 

It’s uncertain of what effects the potion could have on the human body, and it’s the minute between entering and finally seeing Madison’s face that mortifies Cordelia the most. What if she’s turning into a zombie or her eyes are gone? Then what?

 

“Sweetheart? Madison?” Cordelia asks. “Are you alright?”

 

Madison has her head down, hiding most of her face from Cordelia. At first, the supreme is worried that her potion caused memory loss and Madison doesn’t know who she is. Oh god, Zoe will never forgive her for this.

 

“Madison? It’s me,” Cordelia gently assures as she kneels before the girl and grabs her hand.

 

Upon Cordelia’s soothing touch, Madison’s head snaps up. Her eyes are still intact, and somehow brighter and fuller. Innocent. Her lips have regained their color, too.

 

“Are you feeling okay? You drank a bad potion and—“

 

“Are you my mommy?”

 

That question totally throws Cordelia off track. She blinks and shakes her head, wondering if she’s hearing things. It wouldn’t be unusual; sometimes she hears Mallory calling her name or Misty singing and there’s no one around.

 

But what kind of question is that?

 

“What? What are you talking about, Madison?” Cordelia asks.

 

“Are you my mommy? Where’s my mommy?” Madison’s eyes grow sad and longing.

 

“I. . .don’t bullshit me, Madison,” says Cordelia firmly as she grabs both of her hands.

 

“That’s a bad word. Not nice.”

 

Studying every single detail of the younger woman’s face, Cordelia curses in her mind. Madison may be a decent actress, but Cordelia knows exactly when she’s playing around. This is not one of those times.

 

“My god,” Cordelia gasps. “Do you know who you are?”

 

“Uhh, Madison?”

 

“That’s right, that’s good. Where are we right now?”

 

Madison looks around and shrugs before reverting her attention to Cordelia’s long hair. She plays with a strain, and sighs. “Where’s my mommy?”

 

“Madison, tell me how old you are.” Cordelia swallows hard and blinks back fearful tears.

 

“Umm. . .I’m four!” Madison grins wide, and continues to toy with the blonde locks.

 

And like magic, Cordelia is frozen. She can’t find it in herself to move. Her heart has stopped beating. She thinks she might just die right here.

 

Zoe is going to kill her.

 

“Are you feeling alright?” Cordelia asks after managing to swallow down some pain and horror.

 

“Where’s my mommy?”

 

God, she’s even more annoying as a child.

 

“I don’t know. But I’m here, and we have a house full of other people,” says Cordelia.

 

Madison’s expression changes from excited to crestfallen, like someone just told her that her puppy died. It’s heartbreaking.

 

“I want my mommy,” Madison whines.

 

“I know you do, but I’m here, okay? I’ll take care of you. You. . .you just have to be good and listen to me. Can you do that?”

 

Madison nods sadly and replies in the same timid, childish voice, “Uh-huh.”

 

Cordelia prepares to stand up and go downstairs to figure something out, or how to explain this, or how she’s going to manage to take care of Madison in this state, but Mallory enters the room and sighs dramatically.

 

“Can you tell Misty to—oh my god, Madison! You’re okay!” Mallory exclaims, relieved and delighted.

 

She runs to Madison and throws her arms around her, causing the latter to stiffen. Madison pushes her away and then touches her cheeks, studying them.

 

“You have pretty eyes,” Madison tells Mallory.

 

Recoiling away in horror, Mallory looks up at Cordelia. “What the hell is she saying? She complimented me. She never does that.”

 

Cordelia rubs her temples and closes her eyes. “It seems that my potion turned her into a child.”

 

Initially, Mallory is stoic and void of all expression. Then, she bursts into a fit of laughter. Madison flinches and then begins to chime in with her, although she has no idea of why they’re laughing.

 

“Mallory! This is serious!” Cordelia scolds.

 

“I—oh my god—it’s just—Zoe is going to kill you!” Mallory squeezes out between laughs as she falls back and holds her stomach.

 

Cordelia allows Mallory to get it out of her system; it seems Madison will be this way for awhile and the last thing Cordelia needs is to be constantly ridiculed and reminded of it.

 

“I gotta go pee-pee,” Madison announces as she slides off the bed and pads to the bathroom door. She stops before the darkened bathroom and looks back at Cordelia, who has one cheek sucked in. “I’m scared.”

 

“Turn on the light,” Cordelia says.

 

“It’s so dark and scary!” Madison gapes. “Come with me.”

 

“Madison, just turn on the light. It’s right there.”

 

“I’m scared!” she whines in protest, flailing her arms. “I don’t like the dark! Pleeeeease?”

 

How can Cordelia refuse her when she’s giving her the biggest puppy dog eyes that make Mallory’s pale in comparison? She has to remind herself that this not Madison—this is a child, and she cannot rightfully yell at her.

 

“Fine. Come on,” Cordelia sighs.

 

Madison grabs Cordelia’s hand. Cordelia tries to pull away, but Madison holds tighter. The supreme grumbles to herself and flicks on the bathroom light.

 

“There. See? Now go on,” Cordelia tells Madison.

 

“Nuh-uh.” Madison steps behind Cordelia and buries her face in her back. “Come with me.”

 

“Madison, I’m not staying while you use the toilet. That’s inappropriate.”

 

“It’s scary!” Madison wraps her arms around Cordelia’s waist and hugs her tight. “Monsters!”

 

“There are no monsters here, okay?” Cordelia wriggles herself out of the vice and pushes Madison further into the bathroom.

 

Madison teeters on her feet as she inspects the room, looking left to right, then up and down. She spins around, and shakes her head.

 

“Monsters!”

 

Cordelia pinches the bridge of her nose.

 

“No. There’s no monsters here. Now, go use the toilet. I’ll be right out here.” She shuts the door, leaving Madison inside with the imaginary monsters.

 

While Madison is using the bathroom, Cordelia leans up against the wall and bangs her forehead on it.

 

“Stupid. Stupid. Idiot,” she seethes through gritted teeth.

 

“Don’t beat yourself up, Cordelia,” Mallory says. “It wasn’t your fault.”

 

“I left it there without a label! She thought it was water! I’m so stupid!”

 

“Relax. I’m sure it will go away with time. Or we could try and find a spell to reverse the effects,” suggests the small witch, eyes hopeful.

 

Cordelia groans to herself. She wouldn’t even know where to begin to find a spell to reverse it.

 

This fucking sucks.

 

Figuring Madison must be done, Cordelia composes herself, rubs her burning forehead, and knocks on the door.

 

“Madison? Are you finished in there?” Cordelia opens the door to find Madison standing where she left her, except now she has a very noticeable trail of liquid running down her leg, and her denim shorts are soaked. “Are you kidding me?! Did you urinate on yourself?!”

 

“No. I peed myself.” Madison gives a halfhearted shrug.

 

“Why would you do that, Madison? You can use the toilet,” Cordelia asks, gesturing to the toilet only a few feet away.

 

“It’s scary!”

 

Sucking in one cheek, Cordelia turns to Mallory and tells her to get a fresh set of clothes for the now-preschooler. As Mallory hurries away, Misty enters the room.

 

“Delia? How is Madison?” the swamp witch inquires, approaching the supreme’s side. She looks at Madison, who is rocking on her heels and gently humming her ABCs. “Oh. This doesn’t look too good.”

 

Cordelia almost flips a switch. Almost.

 

+++

 

The silent treatment hurts more when it’s being received than given. Cordelia would not talk to Fiona for days on end and never saw any issue with it; but Zoe refuses to talk to Cordelia after finding out what happened to Madison caused by the defective potion, and it hurts her deeply.

 

It’s so childish of Zoe, but perhaps that is best fitting for this situation.

 

Madison has been four years old for all of one day, and the house has already gone to hell. Zoe refuses to speak, Mallory is excitedly awaiting for Coco’s arrival so she can show her the mess Cordelia made, Queenie has no idea of how to handle living without having her best friend to pick on, and Misty is desperately grabbing hold of every spell book for a reversal.

 

No one wants to take any responsibility for Madison, so Cordelia feels it’s her position to play mother hen—even more so than she was before. She’s unfamiliar with raising small children. If being supreme wasn’t terrifying enough, this is.

 

“Madison, stop picking at your dinner and just eat it,” Cordelia scolds as she drops a scoop of sweet corn on the girl’s plate.

 

“It’s mushy!” Madison whines. She takes the kernels and pushes them into her mashed potatoes, which she’s smeared over her grilled chicken breast.

 

“That is disgusting,” Queenie comments over her plate. “Girl, just eat the damn food.”

 

“No!” Madison pouts and shoves her plate away. “Yucky.”

 

“Eat it, now,” says Cordelia as she puts a cloth napkin over her lap. “There are people starving in this world who would love to have that. I want you to eat.”

 

“No! Gross!”

 

Mallory and Zoe awkwardly share a glance and return to their food without offering any sort of help. Misty pulls up a chair and sits next to Madison, putting her own plate of mashed potatoes and corn with some sort of chicken substitute on the table.

 

“I like it,” Misty says in a gentle voice. “If I eat, will you eat?”

 

“Mm-mm.” Madison purses her lips and shakes her head.

 

“Oh, alright. Guess I’ll be strong and you won’t,” sighs Misty. She picks up her fork and begins to eat, being sure to comment to the wind about how good it tastes and how she’s going to grow big and strong because she’s eating.

 

Madison observes Misty while she eats. Everyone else is eating, too, and minds their own business, trying not to look at her. Cordelia seems sour and bitter about something, but she’s eating. Curiously, Madison takes a spoon and scoops up some corn. She sniffs it; it’s sweet, but not like candy. She cautiously takes a bite, much to Cordelia’s surprise.

 

“Is it good?” Cordelia asks after Madison swallows, and the latter nods.

 

“Zoe, can you pass me the salt?” Cordelia asks across the table.

 

Zoe looks at Queenie expectantly.

 

“You are so childish,” the voodoo witch comments as she swipes the salt shaker from the table and passes it to Cordelia.

 

“Look, Zoe, I don’t know how many times I’ve owned up to my mistake to you,” says Cordelia as she salts her potatoes. “We will fix this, I promise.”

 

“Fix what?” Madison asks.

 

Exchanging a careful glance with Misty, Cordelia adjusts her posture and looks at her plate, avoiding the bright green eyes staring into her soul.

 

“Nothing, honey. Just finish up your dinner. It’s almost time for bed.”

 

Mallory gets a call from Coco, who is completely unknowing of the current household situation, so she excuses herself and locks herself in their room, leaving the rest at the table in unsettling silence.

 

Zoe quickly finishes up and washes her dishes in the sink before slinking upstairs without so much as a word to anyone. Queenie tells Cordelia she’ll talk to her, and follows her. This leaves Cordelia, Madison, and Misty alone.

 

“I’m done,” Madison says, pushing her plate.

 

“Are you full?” Misty asks.

 

“Yeah. I wanna go play in my room!” Madison whines.

 

Zoe was gracious enough to dig up some old toys in the attic—hidden from Spalding when he occupied it—and give them to Madison this morning. They’re ancient, mostly made of wood and toxic paint, but Madison enjoys them and they keep her quiet when Cordelia is trying to think. Witches with their own infants and children resided here back in the mid-1900s, but as they died out or left, the need for toys diminished and they were put away. Zoe even found an antique high chair up there. It’s bizarre, how times have changed.

 

“I wanna go play with my toys!” Madison whines again, pulling at Cordelia’s sleeve.

 

“You need a bath,” Misty says.

 

Cordelia bites the inside of her lip. She never thought of that.

 

“I don’t want a bath! I wanna play!”

 

“Well, maybe we can wait on the bath until tomorrow,” Cordelia suggests.

 

“Yay! No bath!” Madison cheers.

 

“Cordelia, she needs to be bathed; we were outside all afternoon and she got all dirty and sweaty. I just wiped her up with a wet cloth,” Misty says.

 

Madison crosses her arms in defiance and scratches the crevice of her elbow. Cordelia can see a bit of dirt there.

 

“Um, would you mind—“ Cordelia is cut off by Misty standing up and smiling innocently at her.

 

“‘Night, Delia.”

 

God, this is going to be horrible.

 

+++

 

Cordelia drags Madison to her room by the wrist. As they approach, Queenie emerges and shakes her head at Cordelia.

 

“She’s really pissed off. She says she won’t forgive you unless you can fix whatever happened to her. She told me to tell you that,” Queenie says curtly, brushing past the supreme.

 

Although she feels guilty, Cordelia can not afford to fester on it right now; she needs to get Madison bathed and ready for bed, and as much as the thought of bathing a child in a grown woman’s body repulses her, it’s a small price compared to what Madison has to pay.

 

Zoe is leaned back on her bed, ankles crossed, spell book in her hands. She takes one look at Cordelia, then looks back down at her book, unbothered. Cordelia doesn’t attempt to rouse her attention. She takes whining Madison to the bathroom and closes the door.

 

“I’m going to fill your bath. I think you know what to do,” Cordelia says, because outright telling Madison to take off her clothes feels callous.

 

Cordelia draws a sweet-smelling bubble bath and turns around while Madison dips a toe in the water.

 

“It’s too cold!” Madison says.

 

“It is not, I tested it myself,” Cordelia says, not once turning around. “You are getting a bath. Tough.”

 

“Hmph!”

 

Cordelia doesn’t move; she waits until she hears Madison submerge herself into the water before she does. She looks back at the girl, who is now almost completely covered up to her chest with water and suds.

 

“Can you. . .can you wash yourself?” Cordelia asks Madison, kneeling beside the bathtub.

 

“Yeah. Shoo!” Madison says as she uses a wet hand to make a shooing motion at the supreme.

 

Cordelia pushes herself up and leaves the bathroom, heart in her throat. Something about the thought of bathing Madison makes her incredibly nauseous. Her insides are all in knots like an abandoned spool of thread. She tries to help it come undone, to find the end of it and pull it loose.

 

She needs a goddamn drink.

 

Zoe puts her book away. “Where’s Madison?”

 

“Taking a bath. She needed it,” Cordelia replies, sitting on Madison’s bed. She picks up an old baby doll and brushes the dust off its scuffed face. Mallory left a clean pair of pajamas there, too.

 

“You left her alone?!” Zoe snaps. She scurries off her bed and throws open the bathroom door to find Madison’s entire body submerged in the bathwater. “Fuck!”

 

Upon seeing Madison, Cordelia nearly has a fucking heart attack. Zoe springs into action first, pulling the blonde out of the water by her shoulders. Madison coughs deeply, and Zoe rubs her back to coax any water out of her lungs.

 

“Jesus Christ, Cordelia! Why would you leave her alone?!” Zoe barks as her once-soft eyes turn into a heinous glare. “She could’ve died!”

 

“I—I thought she’d be okay! I forgot that she’s suddenly a child! I’m not used to this!”

 

“Yeah, thanks to you!”

 

Redirecting her attention to Madison, Zoe urges a decent amount of water out of Madison’s mouth. She tells Madison that she’s okay, and wrings out her hair.

 

“I’ll take it from here,” Zoe says to Cordelia, back turned.

 

“No, this is my doing,” Cordelia says. “I can—“

 

“—Go. I can take care of her.”

 

Zoe leaves no room for debate. Cordelia slinks our of the room and quietly shuts the door. At this point, sulking is her best bet, so she joins Misty in their common room. The swamp witch is intently reading a spell book much larger than Zoe’s. It’s older and dustier and has quite the age on it; perhaps it was Myrtle’s version of a nursery rhyme book as a baby.

 

“Great news, Delia! I think I found a spell to reverse whatever happened to Madison!” Misty excitedly jabs a random spot on the page. “It’s an age reversal spell.”

 

Cordelia takes the dense book from her and silently reads over the spell in question. More effort will have to be used to properly complete it—assuming it works at all—and it takes more focus than a regular old spell does, but Madison can’t be stuck this way forever, especially not on Cordelia’s doing.

 

“Is this guaranteed to work?” Cordelia asks.

 

“I dunno. You’re the supreme. Guess we’ll have to find out.”

 

“We?”

 

Misty nods, her frizzy curls bouncing. “I’ll help ya out. I’m tired of watching ya mope around like you did somethin’ bad. Besides, if anything goes wrong—like if Hollywood kicks the bucket again—I’ll be there to bring her back.”

 

“And what if. . .what if she’s like this forever?” Cordelia’s trachea tightens at the mere image of Madison speaking in childish tones and playing with dolls for the rest of her life.

 

Pity in her bright eyes, Misty pats the supreme’s knee. “Well, ya always wanted a child.”

 

That is true, but Cordelia never wanted a child like Madison.

 

+++

 

Cordelia locked the greenhouse doors and childproofed the majority of the house for the time being. She needs to be in the correct frame of mind to perform the age reversal spell on Madison, and it’s just not happening right now.

 

Mallory took it upon herself to play babysitter for Madison while Cordelia gets her head together before it falls off. Misty was more than right; Cordelia is starting to admire the fact that she can now play mommy to someone and not have to work for it.

 

That’s an issue, because the coven can not afford the burden and Cordelia is at loss for time. She’d be worse than those moms that leave their child with a nanny and only sees them at bedtime. 

 

No one bothers Cordelia when she’s clearly in her head. She sits at her desk and idly shuffles through papers while her ceiling fan hums. Her neck is flushed and she’s sweating in most of her crevasses.

 

A catnap sounds enticing, so she lays her head down and closes her eyes, imagining a world with no problems—no age-regressed Madison—but it’s quickly cut short by a cry somewhere in the distance.

 

Her office door swings open and Mallory hauls a crying Madison in by her elbow. The former seems incredibly guilty for an unknown reason, and Cordelia tries her very hardest not to accuse her of anything. God, it’s difficult. Madison is crying and she doesn’t like it.

 

“What happened?” Cordelia asks Mallory as she comes around to grab Madison.

 

“We were playing outside by the greenhouse, and she tripped over a cobblestone and scraped her arm. I told her not to run, but she didn’t listen.” Mallory extends Madison’s arm to show a ghastly scrape trailing along the milky skin.

 

“God, that’s bad,” Cordelia says, air rushing out of her lungs. “I’ll take care of it. You’re dismissed of your babysitting for now.”

 

Mallory nods and hesitantly leaves the room. Cordelia looks at the young, crying witch.

 

“You’ve got quite the scrape there, huh?” Cordelia sighs. Madison nods and wipes her tears with her other arm. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

 

In the adjoined bathroom, Cordelia lifts Madison onto the small sink and runs a washcloth under cold water. She gently cleans the nasty injury to clear the blood, then grabs some Neosporin from the cabinet. Madison tugs her arm away, flinching away from the tube.

 

“No! It hurts!” Madison cries, pushing Cordelia away. 

 

“It will sting for a second, but you’ll feel better soon, okay? I promise I’ll be fast,” says Cordelia as she’s already dabbing a bit of ointment on her finger.

 

“No! No! I don’t want it!” Madison kicks Cordelia right in the shin. 

 

“Madison, do you want a timeout?” Cordelia snaps. “I will give you a five-minute time-out in your room with no toys if you keep that up. And you won’t have dessert after dinner. Bad children get punished. Do you understand?”

 

The sternness seems to deflect Madison’s temper for the moment, or just long enough for Cordelia to rub the ointment over her scrape and put a bandaid on it. Though still red and flushed from crying, Madison is quiet while Cordelia finishes nursing the wound.

 

“All done,” Cordelia announces. “Was that bad?”

 

Madison shakes her head. Cordelia hums in approval and lets the girl down. She’s throwing the bandaid wrappers away when she feels Madison’s arms wrap around her waist from behind. Startled, Cordelia stiffens in the backwards embrace.

 

“I love you, mommy.”

 

Cordelia’s response to that is a single tear slipping down her cheek. At least this way, Madison can’t see it.

 

+++

 

Misty finds Cordelia not by the sight of her, but by the sound of her voice reciting lines from a familiar book. She hesitates outside of the common room and stills her mind by taking a few silent breaths as to not disturb Delia and whoever she’s reading to.

 

“. . .Goodnight room, goodnight moon, goodnight cow jumping over the moon.“ The familiar phrase Cordelia says is followed by Madison giggling.

 

“That’s silly,” Madison points out.

 

“Yes, it is,” Cordelia agrees. “But there’s more. Listen. Hush.”

 

“Okay. . .”

 

Misty’s heart melts and the remanence drip into her belly to create a warm feeling. She remembers Goodnight Moon, and how her mama used to read it to her when she was just a tiny succulent of a person.

 

“Goodnight light, and the red balloon. Goodnight bears, goodnight chairs,” Cordelia recites, then pauses. “Do you know the rest?”

 

“Mmm, no.”

 

“Goodnight kittens, and goodnight mittens. Goodnight clocks, and goodnight socks.”

 

“Socks! Like mine!” Madison says, and Misty can only imagine her wiggling her toes inside her black and white striped socks.

 

“Shh shh,” Cordelia soothes. “Goodnight little house, and goodnight mouse. Goodnight comb, and goodnight brush. Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush.”

 

Misty silently reads the remainder of the book in time with Cordelia, her lips barely moving as she leans against the wall.

 

“And goodnight noises everywhere,” Cordelia says, and so does Misty, inaudibly.

 

Pushing her fond memories aside, Misty quietly enters the room, finding Cordelia sat on the sofa with Madison curled against her, her head rested on the former’s chest as she sleeps. The supreme closes the worn and faded book upon seeing Misty.

 

“She was bouncing off the walls. Zoe gave her extra candy after dinner just to punish me. I was just reading her a bedtime story to get her to sleep,” Cordelia whispers, nodding towards the girl on her chest. “It obviously worked.”

 

“Is that Goodnight Moon?” Misty asks, because telling her she’d been listening to last half of the story is odd.

 

“Yeah. I never read it. . .Fiona wasn’t that kind of mother.” Cordelia slides the book away from herself with a bit of malcontent.

 

“Is that why you’re stalling on doing the spell?” Misty questions. “You’re attached? Tryin’ to give that poor girl what you never had?”

 

“What? No, of course not. It was a very busy day and I didn’t find the time,” Cordelia says, chewing the inside of her lip.

 

“I don’t judge you for treating her like your own and enjoying it, ya know,” Misty says. “But we need to get her back to normal. I was waitin’ for you to bring her so we could try, but you never showed up.”

 

“We can do it tomorrow. She’s sleeping now,” Cordelia insists.

 

“Fine. First thing tomorrow, we need to attempt it.”

 

Biting her lip, Cordelia nods. She averts her gaze so she doesn’t have to see that pitying expression on Misty’s face.

 

“I’ll take her upstairs. Zoe is gettin’ ready for bed,” Misty says, approaching the pair with her arms extended.

 

Misty lifts Madison into her arms and secures the smaller girl around her own body as a mother would hold her toddler. Cordelia feels empty and exposed, the heat of Madison’s body vanishing off her skin.

 

“I’ll see ya in the morning,” Misty tells Cordelia. “We all need our rest. Coco is coming back early in the morning, and we’re gonna do the spell.”

 

With that affirmation, Misty carries sleeping Madison upstairs, leaving Cordelia anxious and mentally drained on the sofa with a tattered copy of a children’s story she wishes could send her into dreamland, too.

 

+++

 

As promised, Coco returns home at seven am. Mallory is excitedly waiting at the window, with her face smushed up against the warm, dewy glass. She’s in her pajamas and her wild hair is something that resembles a birds nest.

 

Coco approaches the house, one of the coven’s guards rolling and carrying her mountain of luggage aside her. Her obnoxious heels clack even louder than (normal) Madison’s do, but Mallory is so enthralled by the sight of her that it doesn’t matter.

 

“Coco! Coco!” Mallory screeches as she runs out of the house to greet her. “You’re home!”

 

They share a tight, suffocating embrace, before Coco pulls back and smooths the messy hair from Mallory’s face.

 

“I missed you so much!” Mallory cries. “It’s been hell over here!”

 

“I missed you, too, Mal. More than I miss having unlimited credit on all my cards,” Coco says as she presses a gentle kiss on her forehead. “So is it true that Madison is a kid now?”

 

In all her joy, Mallory completely forgot about kid-Madison.

 

“Yeah. . .I told you that Cordelia was going to ‘fix it’ sometime, but she never did. Kid Madison is even worse than the adult Madison is.”

 

“How is that even possible? Madison is horrible!” Coco exclaims in disgust.

 

“Think of Madison but in a childish form. Come on; we’ve got a lot to talk about! I wanna see all your pictures and then you can see the fucking Tasmanian devil,” Mallory says, tugging Coco inside by her sleeve.

 

Upon entering the house again, Mallory bumps right into a slender form, who shrieks and jumps back.

 

“Oof!” Mallory grunts. “Oh, it’s you again.”

 

Madison huffs and brushes herself off, glaring at Mallory with her heavy-lidded eyes.

 

“I’m telling mommy you called me a mean name!” Madison whines. “You’re in big trouble!” She jabs her finger into Mallory’s chest.

 

“Madison, please go back to bed,” Mallory says as she rubs her forehead with her palm.

 

“No! I’m telling on you!”

 

Madison stomps off, presumably to wake Cordelia and tattletale on Mallory for calling her a “mean name”. Coco scoffs, eyes wide.

 

“What a little shit,” says Coco. “I really thought you were kidding.”

 

Mallory pulls the skin of her cheeks down so her bottom eyelids reveal the pinkish flesh beneath. “Do these eye-bags look like they’re kidding?!”

 

Horrified, Coco shakes her head.

 

+++

 

After some pleading with Misty, Cordelia managed to convince her to hold off on the spell until Madison’s nap time after lunch. Though Misty knows Cordelia’s only doing this to stall time, she lets her have her way, because who is she to argue with her supreme.

 

Cordelia leaves the girls shit out of luck for lunch. Zoe whips up some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the last minute while the most powerful witch alive is thinking and pondering life’s greatest mysteries somewhere like a bump on a log.

 

Madison rejects the perfectly good sandwich Zoe serves her, in favor of a family-size pack of Oreos. Zoe doesn’t pay too much mind to the fact that Madison is blatantly refusing to eat anything of nutritional value; that is Cordelia’s area. She takes her own plate and goes upstairs to eat in her room, leaving Mallory, Queenie, and Coco stuck with the hell raiser.

 

“Okay, I think you’ve had enough cookies,” Coco points out, grabbing the pack from Madison’s hand.

 

“No! Mine!” Madison whines. She snatches it back while biting into another cookie.

 

“You’ve had enough. Give it here,” Coco demands.

 

“Mommy said I could!”

 

Popping a chip in her mouth, Queenie rolls her eyes. “She said you could have two. That is way more than two.”

 

“No more cookies for you,” Coco says, and she tries one more time to take the pack, but shrieks in pain when Madison sinks her teeth into her wrist. “Ow! You little shit!”

 

“I’m gonna tell on you for saying that word!” Madison declares.

 

Making a break for it, Madison runs right into Cordelia and falls clean on her behind. Her green eyes soften and widen, and her lip forms into a pitiful pout.

 

“Mommy! They’re being mean!” Madison cries, pointing to Mallory and Coco.

 

“Is that so?” Cordelia says.

 

“Uh-huh! She said a bad word!” Madison viscously glares at Coco, who is holding her aching wrist.

 

“I told her no more cookies because it’s time for lunch, and she bit me!” Coco exclaims. “If you’re not going to fix her, maybe you need to give her a good old fashioned ass kicking! My nanny loved whooping my ass!”

 

Cordelia takes Madison’s hands and helps her up. Madison sticks her tongue out at the trio sitting around the table, thinking she’s gotten what she wants, but Cordelia clears her throat.

 

“Madison. It’s time for a nap.”

 

“No! I don’t wanna take a nap!” Madison cries, wrapping her arms around Cordelia and burying her face in her chest.

 

Cordelia picks through Madison’s strains of hair and pets her head while keeping her eyes locked on the wall to avoid showing any sort of conflicting emotion.

 

“It’s bedtime, Madison,” Cordelia says firmly, then takes Madison by the hand and walks her upstairs, passing a very patient and hopeful Misty on the way. They share sure glance, and it’s gone quicker than it came.

 

Zoe is listening to music through her headphones at her desk with a half-eaten sandwich next to her. Cordelia fights Madison to get into her bed, but she goes down kicking and yelling, which disturbs Zoe, and she pulls her headphones off.

 

“That’s enough!” Cordelia scolds Madison, smacking her thigh. “It’s time to sleep.”

 

Cordelia flicks off the light and tucks Madison in tighter than she initially desired. After she’s sure that Madison is unable to break free, the supreme turns to Zoe and picks her plate up.

 

“Zoe, I told you no food in the rooms. It creates ants. Now go finish it downstairs. I have something to do.”

 

“Like what?” Zoe raises an eyebrow.

 

“Something. Go on,” Cordelia says, pushing Zoe out of the room.

 

Zoe takes it very lightly, assuming Cordelia is hiding something petty, and she goes downstairs to join her sisters at the table. Cordelia leaves Madison whining and clawing at the comforter. She finds Misty at the end of the hall. She has that damned spell book in her hands.

 

“Is she asleep?” Misty asks.

 

“Not yet. Give her a few minutes and she’ll be down and we can try,” Cordelia replies softly, almost saddened.

 

Misty gently squeezes Cordelia’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re doin’ the right thing by fixing this.”

 

For her own selfish reasons, it feels so very wrong.

 

+++

 

Ten minutes of hopeful silence tick by. Cordelia opens Madison’s door and carefully peels back the comforter, only to be met with bare gray sheets and a teddy bear. She looks at Misty, who is still clutching the book for dear life.

 

“Well?” asks the Cajun witch.

 

“She’s gone.”

 

Misty tosses the book on Zoe’s bed and throws her hands into the air, groaning in frustration. She pulls at her wild curls and fights an urge to fling herself out the window.

 

“We need to find her. We’re doing this today!” Misty says. “I’ll look up here, you go downstairs. Maybe the others have seen her.”

 

“She couldn’t have gotten far!” Cordelia exclaims as she throws around random clothes and toys and looks under the bed. “Madison! Come out! This is not a game!”

 

Silence.

 

Cordelia runs downstairs and makes a quick sweep of the kitchen, ignoring the bizarre stares she receives. She opens cabinets and the pantry and comes up empty-handed.

 

It’s only when she passes by their common room that she hears the sound of Tom and Jerry having another scrap. She looks into the room to find Madison lounging on the couch with the remote in her hand, watching a segment of Tom and Jerry on their small TV. Cordelia charges in and rips the remote from her hand.

 

“Time for bed, Madison,” says Cordelia in that stern tired-mother-like tone. “Upstairs. Right now.”

 

Madison sticks her tongue out and blows a raspberry at her, causing droplets of spittle to cover Cordelia’s face. She wipes the saliva away with her shirt sleeve and reaches out to grab Madison, but Madison hops over the back of the couch and crawls underneath it where it’s just wide enough for her to fit.

 

“Madison, I’m going to count to three. One. Two. . .”

 

“Three! Now what, Mommy?” Madison teases.

 

Blood boiling, Cordelia tries to push the couch, but it’s made of solid wood and it’s impossible to move without someone to help. Madison sticks her fingers out from under the couch and wiggles them, laughing.

 

“Not funny,” Cordelia says. “Out. Do you want a spanking?”

 

“No!”

 

“Delia, did ya find her?” Misty asks as she’s running in.

 

Cordelia gestures to the couch. Misty folds her arms and taps her foot, pondering something.

 

“Oh well,” sighs Misty. “Guess I’ll just have to eat these Oreos all by myself! How sad; I really wanted to share.”

 

“Hey, not my Oreos!” Madison cries. “I’m coming out!”

 

Madison crawls out and pulls herself up, only to realize Misty was goofing around and she doesn’t actually have Oreos. The young girl huffs and puts her hands on her hips.

 

“Not fair! You lied!”

 

“Let’s go, Madison. Time for a nap,” Cordelia repeats.

 

Madison runs for it, but Cordelia is quick to snatch her elbow and hold her off. Kicking and screaming, Madison shouts childish obscenities at her. Misty thinks on her feet between the yelling and the sound of Tom and Jerry killing each other on the screen, and grabs Goodnight Moon off the couch.

 

“Delia! Take this!” Misty tosses the book at Cordelia, who catches it and shoves it in Madison’s face.

 

“Look! Look! You wanna hear this again?” Cordelia asks Madison.

 

Immediately seeing the faded cover, Madison stops thrashing. The bright color scheme seems to calm her down, and she simmers against Cordelia, reaching for it.

 

“Good,” sighs Cordelia. “Let’s go upstairs and read, huh?”

 

Madison nods, and Cordelia brings her upstairs and sits with her in bed, allowing the small girl to curl against her. Cordelia plays with the wisps of blonde while she soothingly recites the entire book over again, and this time, Madison goes down without a struggle. By the final line, she’s fast asleep.

 

Cordelia lays her down, at which time Misty enters, carrying the spell book. Ridden with a wave of guilt, Cordelia stands up and admires how angelic Madison is when she’s sleeping. Misty rests a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Don’t beat yourself up. You’re doing the right thing by her. Are you ready?”

 

Cordelia swallows the huge lump in her throat, and nods.

 

+++

 

The spell took a lot more energy and tools than expected, but the mess of sage and the stress of perfecting the incantation brought forth an adult Madison back to life. She woke a few hours after Cordelia preformed the spell, cranky and moody and wanting a cigarette.

 

Madison is still lethargic, probably from eating one too many cookies and doing more physical activity in the last few days than she’s done in awhile. Cordelia asked the rest of the coven not to share any tidbits of Madison’s behavior, or how she drank the potion and morphed into a child. She swears to Misty that she will tell Madison herself. . .someday.

 

In the meantime, at nightfall, Cordelia sits at the kitchen island with Misty, who has just removed the whistling teakettle from the stove. She pours a bit of tea into Cordelia’s mug, then her own, and put the shiny kettle on the wooden cutting board sitting on the island.

 

“Drink up. It’ll calm your nerves,” Misty insists.

 

“Thank you, Misty,” Cordelia says. “What should I tell her? I don’t think she remembers anything from the last few days, so it’s like it didn’t even happen to her.”

 

“When she comes ‘round here fussin’ about how she can’t remember, that’s when you tell her the truth. For now, just relax and be happy that we have the good ol’ bratty Hollywood back,” Misty assures.

 

“Speaking of which, where is she?” Cordelia asks.

 

“Last I seen her, she was outside with Zoe.”

 

Cordelia goes to the window and catches the sight of Zoe and Madison cuddled up on the back porch swing. They’re in close proximity, but it seems odd. It’s even odder when Zoe presses a kiss to the edge of Madison’s mouth and Madison happily accepts it. Cordelia covers her mouth in shock, motioning for Misty to come see.

 

“Wow,” says Misty, observing Madison, who is getting all affectionate and lovey-dovey with Zoe under a blanket of stars. “She went from playin’ with dolls to kissin’ in one day!”

 

“She’s all grown up. . .” Cordelia whispers, her eyes a little sad.

 

Misty nudges Cordelia in the ribs, giving her a cheeky smile. “Wanna have another?”

 

Cordelia nearly has a stroke.


	6. Give a Dog a Bone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe and Mallory bring home a dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who’s back?! I am so happy to be back writing this story! Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments that were left in my absence. I love y’all.
> 
> —Sincerely, Sierra

One tranquil, wet afternoon in the coven is filled with pitter-patter of rainfall and the sound of Stevie gently playing on the radio. Misty is making her famous biscuits while Cordelia dunks a tea bag into a mug of hot water. With classes being dismissed for the summer, there has been almost nothing to do. 

 

On a normal day, around this time, some sort of chaos would erupt. Whether it’s Madison having a fit over something trivial, or one of the young ones setting off an explosive paint bomb in the bathroom, Cordelia never has a dull moment. But today, with the rain and lack of classes, she finds the highlight of her entire day to be stirring her herbal tea so fast that it creates a tiny tornado. 

 

“Cordelia?” Misty asks, kneeling before the oven where she’s looking through the little window. 

 

“Yes?” the Supreme hums as she stirs her steaming tea with a spoon.

 

“What does it mean to broil?” The swamp witch points to a button on the stove. 

 

Cordelia chews her lip. Out of desperation for something chaotic, such as flames, she wants to tell Misty it’s just another baking method and she should utilize it for crispier biscuits, but considering it could cause use a fire within a few minutes and their extinguisher is out of date, she rejects that idea.

 

“It’s a method of cooking using intense heat. Don’t use it for more than two minutes at a time,” Cordelia warns. 

 

Misty turns the oven on 425 and begins to clean up her mess. They fall into a comfortable silence again, with Cordelia sipping her tea and Misty gently swaying to her own rhythm. 

 

The rainfall picks up just the slightest bit, along with the wind, and the wind chime sings loudly. The gentle song it plays as it tinkles in the air calms Cordelia, and she closes her eyes, feeling her heartbeat find a way to sync with the melody. It’s an unusual occurrence, to be this tranquil and at peace. 

 

“Cordelia!” Madison screeches, then stomps in like a petulant child having a tantrum. She’s swinging what looks like a red and white polka-dotted bra by the strap around her finger. “Look at this!”

 

The young woman thrusts her bra in Cordelia’s face, which causes the latter to push herself away and sigh. Madison continues to shove her undergarment at Cordelia, her face ablaze with fiery anger and hatred. 

 

“What is it, Madison? I’m trying to have a quiet moment here,” says Cordelia in a soft tone, attempting to placate the enraged girl. 

 

“I woke up this morning and found my bra on the floor, torn up! Look at it!” Madison demands. 

 

With two fingers, Cordelia takes the bra and examines it. One of the straps has been torn and half the clasps have been gnawed off. It looks as if it was chewed, not exactly ripped. Cordelia’s eyebrows meet as she frowns. 

 

“Did it get sucked up by the vacuum?” asks Cordelia. 

 

“Why would we vacuum our room?! We don’t have carpet!” Madison yells. “That is an expensive bra and it’s ruined!”

 

“I’m sorry about it, Madison, but why are you yelling at me? I didn’t do this,” Cordelia says. She gives the bra back to Madison, who angrily snatches it and tosses it into the garbage can. 

 

Misty provides her two cents to the conversation after she checks on her biscuits. She takes off her apron and hangs it on the hook. “Just get another one. I’m sure you have a lot of bras, right?” 

 

Madison’s eyes narrow into slits at the swamp witch. “That’s not the point, pinhead! The point is that it’s destroyed and I don’t know how. It didn’t happen on its own! Somebody did it and I’m not gonna stop until I find out who and make them pay for it!” 

 

Cordelia pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, shaking her head. Upon realizing that Cordelia doesn’t intend to help her with her problem, Madison spins on her heel and exits the room, resuming her stomping. Misty wipes her hands on her dress. 

 

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” she tells Cordelia. “Watch my biscuits. They got five minutes left.”

 

Cordelia nods, and Misty runs upstairs. The song of the chimes continues outside, and Cordelia finds her eyes growing heavy on their own accord. She puts her head on the table and closes her eyes, deciding a short rest wouldn’t hurt, at least until Misty comes back. 

 

As she’s dozing off, Cordelia faintly hears an odd sound, like nails on wood, then someone sitting in the chair next to her. It croaks under a weight. It’s probably Queenie or Zoe waiting for Misty’s biscuits to come out of the oven; they love her biscuits. 

 

Suddenly, something wet and slobbery swipes across Cordelia’s cheek. Her head snaps up in horror as she scrambles to wipe it away, effectively knocking over her tea, and she finds a golden furry, four-legged creature sitting in the chair with its pink tongue hanging out of its mouth. It tilts its head in a friendly manner, even when Cordelia shrieks and springs out of her seat. 

 

“What the hell?!” Cordelia cries at the dog. 

 

Two sets of footsteps barrel in, revealing Zoe and Mallory. Mallory is carrying a large bag of dry dog food, and Zoe is holding a pink studded leash with a matching collar. Both girls lose all color as soon as they find Cordelia backing away from the dog. 

 

“Girls!” Cordelia shouts. “What is going on?! What do you have to say for yourself?”

 

Sharing an uneasy glance with Mallory, Zoe turns to Cordelia and shrugs. “Can we have a dog?”

 

“No! No, you cannot have a dog! Absolutely not!” Cordelia says. “It licked me!”

 

“She’s just friendly,” Mallory says, putting the dog food on the floor. She passes over Cordelia’s resentful gaze as she goes to wrap her arms around the fluffy ball of drool and dander. 

 

Cordelia turns to Zoe, who has been fiddling with the leash. She crosses her arms and taps her foot at the young girl. Zoe looks at the floor, almost in guilt. 

 

“Well? Explain. Now,” barks Cordelia. 

 

“Her name is Sandy. She’s not a problem!” Zoe begins as she gestures to the dog, who has now been cradled by Mallory. “We’ve had her for two days but just didn’t tell you because we knew you’d be angry.”

 

“Two days?! How did you sneak a dog in here and keep it alive for two days without anyone finding out?! Where did you get her?! Zoe, you have a lot of explaining to do. So start now,” Cordelia demands. “Where did you get her?”

 

“Miss Claudia across the street,” Zoe replies. “She said she’s having a baby and can’t take care of both the baby and a dog, so she asked me and Mallory if we wanted her. She was gonna take her to a shelter! We couldn’t let her go to a shelter! So we said we would take her. She was free.”

 

“And she just handed you her damn dog, just like that?” Cordelia questions. 

 

“Yeah. She really didn’t want her. It’s not like we asked her to give her to us. She gave Mallory some dog food, but we ran out yesterday. We were just at the store getting another bag,” Zoe explains. “She must’ve got out of the room while we were gone. She gets lonely after awhile.”

 

“Well, now we know how Madison’s bra got destroyed,” Cordelia says with a sigh. She composed herself and smooths out her skirt. “Girls, you really cannot keep her. I know it’s easy now, but what about when classes start again? Where are you going to keep her? Where is she going to sleep? Are you going to take her out to do her business on the hour like you’re supposed to? What if some of the girls are allergic? I’m sorry, girls, but you have to give her back.” 

 

Mallory pouts and begins to flutter her eyelashes at Cordelia as she hugs Sandy closer. The golden retriever whimpers and leans her head on the young witch’s, her droopy tongue quirked out of her mouth. 

 

“Cordelia!” Zoe whines. “She’s gonna take her to a shelter if we give her back! What if they put her down? She’s only three, she has her entire life to live!” 

 

Cordelia shakes her head at Zoe. “I’m sorry, but the answer is no. We cannot have pets. Please take her back over there right now.”

 

“No pets?! What about Shadow? You had no problem keeping him when you found him starved in Misty’s swamp! This isn’t fair,” Zoe points out. 

 

“Zoe, Shadow is an outdoor cat, and he doesn’t chew things up and make messes. He only requires a bowl of food and water and that’s all. A dog needs to be fed, walked, groomed, bathed, and played with regularly. It’s a big responsibility, a responsibility you won’t have time for come autumn. Trust me here, it will be too much to handle,” Cordelia elucidates, slowly and calmly, although the vein in her forehead is about to burst.

 

“We aren’t giving her back,” Zoe says firmly. She slips Sandy’s collar over her neck and attaches the leash. “Come on, Mallory. Let’s go walk her. It’s stopped raining for now.”

 

Giving Cordelia an unsure glance, Mallory rises to her feet. The supreme’s jaw clenches, but it doesn’t faze Mallory enough to reject Zoe’s pulling on the leash. As Sandy jumps off the chair, Misty enters with Cordelia’s slipper in her hand. She presents it to Cordelia, whose eyes nearly bug out of her head. It’s tattered and completely ruined. 

 

“I found this by the bathroom. I don’t know what happened to it,” Misty explains. 

 

Cordelia silently takes it from her and slowly, almost menacingly, spins on her heel to face the girls. She holds up her slobbery slipper, and Zoe just shrugs. 

 

“You can’t keep her,” repeats Cordelia. 

 

It’s now that Misty notices the furry animal sitting at Mallory’s feet. Her eyes light up and she lets out a loud gasp. She immediately kneels down to hug Sandy, wrapping her arms around her. She laughs as Sandy licks her face, and for a split second, Cordelia considers changing her mind. 

 

Madison comes running into the room again, this time wielding a ripped scarf. Her face is the shade of a fresh tomato, her eyes gleaming with burning hatred, and she curses. 

 

“This is bullshit! I think we have rats!” She aggressively thrusts her scarf in Cordelia’s face. 

 

Cordelia sidesteps to reveal the three witches fawning over Sandy, and Madison’s eyes flicker. First comes the surprise, and then the confusion, followed by the anger. 

 

“That mutt ruined two expensive things of mine! I want it gone!” Madison demands. 

 

“We’re keeping her,” Zoe insists. 

 

“No, we are not,” replies Cordelia. “If I have to call Claudia myself, I will. You cannot keep her.”

 

“Aw, c’mon, Delia,” Misty coos, but it’s more directed to Sandy, who has flipped over for a belly rub. “It’ll be fun.”

 

“For who? Certainly not me.”

 

Misty clicks her tongue and continues rubbing Sandy’s golden belly. Madison’s face is an unholy shade of red, a shade that only occurs when someone has interrupted her sleep more than an hour early, or when Cordelia takes her cigarettes and refuses to return them until after dinner. 

 

The timer dings, and Sandy assumes her sitting position and barks loudly. Misty gets up and removes her biscuits from the oven, and as Cordelia is distracted by attempting to mollify Madison, Mallory and Zoe take Sandy by the leash and hurry out the backdoor before anyone can notice. 

 

Cordelia slinks off to her office and grabs her address book, slipping her cellphone from her pocket. 

 

+++

 

Claudia never answered any of Cordelia’s three calls. The hopeful supreme decided to take a short break to prepare dinner, but continues to swear on her own life that she will try again after the girls have dessert, though she doesn’t believe Mallory and Zoe are deserving of any.

 

Zoe and Mallory are playing tug-of-war with Sandy in the living room, laughing to themselves as Sandy does a few tricks. Cordelia hastily butters some bread and sprinkles it with garlic salt before laying it on a baking sheet and sliding it into the oven below her bubbling lasagna. She’s chewing the inside of her cheek the entire time she cooks, because she’s fighting the urge to let the giggles and laughs get to her.

 

No one has seen Madison since she discovered the dog her girlfriend brought home. Cordelia doesn’t want to even look for her right now; she’s learned it’s in everyone’s best interest if Madison is just left alone to blow off some steam.

 

Misty is whisking instant pudding for dessert. She was playing with Sandy all afternoon and was a bit reluctant to stop to help Cordelia with dinner. It seems the entire house is leaning towards favoring the dog, and it’s pissing Cordelia off. Queenie has yet to form an opinion on it, remaining neutral for now. Coco thinks pets are a little gross, but she loves to see Mallory so happy, so she accepts the situation for what it is. But regardless of the final verdict, Cordelia is still going to call Claudia again. 

 

Her cellphone vibrates in her pocket. Balancing a skillet in one hand, Cordelia fishes it out and answers it. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“You called me three damn times today,” a woman snaps in an unmistakable Spanish accent. “What do you want?”

 

“Oh! I’m so happy you called!” Cordelia breathes. She puts the skillet down and closes herself in her office, making sure the girls can’t hear. “I’m Cordelia Goode; I live across the street. My girls, Zoe and Mallory, they were the ones who took your dog in, and—“

 

“No take backs,” Claudia says. “I am five months pregnant and don’t have time for a dog.”

 

“Yes, I understand that, but—“

 

“I could take the dog back and take her to a shelter. But your girls were just so damn adamant that I didn’t, so I gave her to them. We agreed that they can’t give her back to me. I do not have the time or energy anymore,” Claudia says. “I’m trying to get ready for my baby. I can’t afford to feed and take care of a dog while preparing to give birth. Tell your damn kids finders keepers. I refuse to take the dog back. If I do, she’s going straight to a shelter.” 

 

She can afford a million-dollar house but not to feed a dog , Cordelia bitterly thinks to herself as she sucks her cheek in. 

 

“Please come and pick this dog up,” Cordelia chides in a gentle yet abrasive tone. “My home is not pet-friendly.”

 

“Listen to me. I’m too busy. I’m preparing for my baby shower and sorting out my maternity leave. Keep the dog. You’ll see she’s very friendly,” Claudia insists. “Goodbye.”

 

“Claudia, wait—“

 

Click. 

 

Cordelia bites the inside of her cheek and pockets her phone. After contemplating her options, she goes into the living area where the girls are playing with Sandy. Coco has come to join them, and although she keeps herself sidelined to avoid touching Sandy, she observes Mallory with a pleased smile. 

 

Queenie has made it abundantly clear that she is on Cordelia’s side when it comes to returning Sandy to Claudia. Her protest comes in the form of a silent treatment, but Zoe and Mallory are unmoved by it, insisting that Queenie will adjust over time. Despite their promise, the voodoo witch has yet to warm up in the slightest to the new furry addition to their family. 

 

“Girls,” Cordelia says, knocking on the wall, “dinner is almost ready. Wash your hands and set the table, please.”

 

Mallory gets up and points at Sandy. “You stay here and be a good girl, and maybe I’ll give you a treat later.” 

 

Sandy yaps and rolls over, eliciting a laugh from Mallory. Zoe thoroughly scrubs her hands and wipes the dog hair off her shirt, followed by Mallory. Coco lays the silverware down while Mallory sets the table with plates and Zoe brings glasses of ice. 

 

“Are Queenie and Madison coming down?” Zoe asks. 

 

Cordelia removes the lasagna from the oven. “I hope so. I think they’re still upset about the dog, which, by the way, we are not keeping.”

 

Zoe pulls a sour face at Cordelia, but she softens when the supreme sends her a look of warning. Misty finishes whipping the pudding and refrigerates it as they gather together at the table. Cordelia slices the lasagna into several pieces and serves one to everyone in turn, even saving two spots for Queenie and Madison. 

 

“I think it’ll be fun if we keep Sandy,” Misty says as she digs into her dinner. “Mama never let me have a dog. An alligator was fine because they can take care of themselves, but a dog? Too much work.” 

 

Cordelia points her fork at the wild-haired witch. “Exactly. Too much work. We don’t have the time for it. Now, let’s stop arguing about this and enjoy our dinner. Queenie and Madison will come down when they feel like it.”

 

Without much to say and the obvious burden hanging in the air, the evening is mostly silent. Madison eventually joins them at the table, but simply because she is hungry, and not because she wants to argue about Zoe wanting to keep Sandy. Queenie comes down but takes her dinner back up to her room without saying a word to anyone.

 

After everything has been devoured, Zoe scrapes whatever cheese is left in the pan and takes it to Sandy, who is eagerly drooling all over the sofa. Zoe begins to hand feed her the melted cheese, and Cordelia enters only to be greeted with the horrific sight of an animal on her couch and her young witch feeding her a handful of oily melted cheese. 

 

“Zoe!” Cordelia snaps. “Do not feed that dog on my furniture! Where is her food?”

 

“She gets bored with it,” Zoe states with a shrug. “What’s wrong with giving her scraps?”

 

“For one, I don’t think cheese is good for dogs. For another, you’re doing it on my couch. Stop it. I already called Claudia and I’m going to make her take her back.”

 

Zoe jumps up. “What?! You can’t do that! She’s gonna take her to a shelter! That’s unfair! If you won’t do it for me and Mallory, do it for Sandy! She’s just a dog, Cordelia! How would you like it if someone euthanized you because you were an inconvenience? Huh? It’s not right!”

 

Cordelia pinches the bridge of her nose. A faint throbbing begins to spread across her forehead. 

 

“I have already apologized. I’m not doing this to anger you or make you upset. I don’t want her to take Sandy to a shelter, but we cannot keep her. It is too much of a hassle,” Cordelia explains. Her patience is thinning faster than her heart is beating, and that’s a fatal combination for her. 

 

“I won’t give her back,” insists Zoe as she wrangles Sandy off the couch by the collar. “She’s staying with us. I don’t care what you have to say about it.”

 

“Watch who you’re talking to,” Cordelia replies sternly. “I may not be your mother, but you will not talk to me that way.”

 

And similar to a petulant child, Zoe takes Sandy by the collar and leads her upstairs without saying another word to Cordelia, leaving the supreme to question her own morality. Zoe is typically well-behaved and reserved; for her to fight this hard and long for something shows just how important it is to her. 

 

For just a split second, Cordelia imagines the coven with Sandy as part of the family. She imagines the messes, the slobbery slippers she steps into every moving, and the constant yapping. However, she also imagines how happy Zoe and Mallory would be to keep her and save her from the shelter. Cordelia is aware the girls aren’t doing this out of malice; in fact, they’re doing it from a place of love and humanity, which is what she’s trying to instill in everyone in the coven.

 

Though a piece of herself rejects the thought, Cordelia finds herself knocking on Zoe’s door. The younger witch opens it for her but doesn’t allow her inside. Cordelia can hear Mallory talking to Sandy in a baby voice. 

 

“I’m not here to fight,” Cordelia calmly assures Zoe. “I’m here to proposition you and Mallory.”

 

“Can we keep the dog?” Zoe asks. Mallory appears behind Zoe, standing on her tiptoes over her shoulder. 

 

Smoothing out her clothes, Cordelia clears her throat and bites her lip. “I’m giving you time. You have a week to show me that you are capable of taking care of Sandy all by yourselves. Any problems by the end of the week and she has to go back, shelter or not. If you can prove to me that you are responsible enough, you can keep her and I will happily accept her into the family without any repercussions. Do we have a deal?”

 

Zoe and Mallory exchange a look. 

 

Zoe nods once and extends her hand. “Deal.” 

 

+++

 

It seems Cordelia would have been better off making a deal with the devil rather than Zoe and Mallory; those two are holding up very well on their end. Cordelia never wants any of her witches to fail in any aspect of their lives, but she was sincerely hoping for a mishap on the first day, an excuse to send Sandy back to Claudia. 

 

On the afternoon of the third day of their deal, Cordelia is mopping the kitchen floor. It seems she’s never out of the kitchen; she’s either cooking or cleaning, when she’s normally in her office doing paperwork this time of day. She misses having help.

 

She drops the mop in the bright yellow Rubbermaid bucket and wipes her forehead with the back of her gloved hand. The floor is sparkly—or at least shiny. Relaxation is in order, and she removes her gloves to prepare herself a pot of coffee after she opens the back door to let some air in. 

 

While she’s brewing herself coffee, a commotion begins outside. It sounds like Zoe and Mallory yelling incoherently. She immediately drops the coffee filter and rushes to the door, only to be plowed into by a wet dog covered in suds. She shrieks and stumbles back as Sandy barrels through and tracks mud all over the floor as she sprints through the kitchen. 

 

“Girls!” Cordelia cries. 

 

Zoe runs into the house, soaked head to toe. Her shorts are dripping wet and her shirt is practically stuck to her skin. Mallory follows hot on her heels, and she’s slathered in a coat of bubbles and suds. 

 

“Where’d she go?” Mallory asks, flailing her arms. 

 

Cordelia dodges the flying suds and snaps, “Figure it out. And clean this floor up. Go get that animal before she ruins my rug with her muddy paws! Now!”

 

Mallory takes off like a bat out of hell, only to slip on the wet floor. She goes down bottom-first and uses her hands to break her fall. Zoe doesn’t have time to ask if she’s alright before Sandy returns with a tennis ball and drops it on Mallory’s head, causing the young woman to yelp. 

 

“Ugh, you need a bath! Bad girl, Sandy!” Mallory says. She rubs her head. 

 

Zoe sighs and innocently looks towards Cordelia, who is angrily tapping her foot. 

 

“Are you ready to give up yet?” Cordelia questions. 

 

“No way. We made a deal and we’re gonna see it through,” Zoe replies firmly. “We’re going to show you that we can take care of her. One problem isn’t gonna make us not want her. Sacrifices must be made.”

 

“Right!” Mallory chimes in, putting her fist in the air. She grimaces. “I’m seeing stars.”

 

Cordelia sucks in her cheek. “Clean up this mess.”

 

She forgets about the coffee she was in the process of making, and goes to her room to fume in peace, but it’s not long before a muddy paw finds its way under her door, and she finds herself smiling.

 

+++

 

Cordelia becomes more apprehensive as two more days pass. With two days left of the deal, she’s noticing Zoe and Mallory becoming stronger on their end. They’ve not asked for any help or money to supply what Sandy needs. The house is easily adjusting to having a four-legged friend around; even Madison isn’t so provoked by the idea of having a dog. 

 

As the witches wait for dinner to finish baking, they sit in the gathering area together, which is quite rare. Misty brushes out her wild hair as Madison and Queenie flip through magazines and laugh at the ridiculous outfits some of the models wear. Cordelia is on the loveseat, studying some lesson plans she’s been brainstorming for this coming school year, listening to Zoe halfheartedly playing a broken melody on the grand piano. 

 

Coco comes in, eyebrows furrowed. Upon noticing the woman’s confusion and worry, Cordelia puts her lesson plan away.

 

“What’s wrong, Coco?” Cordelia asks. 

 

“It’s just. . .I haven’t seen Mallory in hours. She said she was gonna walk the dog, but she hasn’t come back,” says Coco. “I saw her leave at, like, three.”

 

Cordelia’s eyes shift to the clock. It’s a quarter to six. 

 

“Did you call her?” Cordelia suggests. 

 

“Yeah, twice. The first time, she didn’t answer. The second time, I found her phone on her bed. I guess ‘cause she wasn’t gonna be out long so she thought she didn’t need it. But it’s been a long time.” Coco cracks her knuckles. “I’m worried.”

 

Cordelia gets up and uses telekinesis to remove the magazine from Queenie and Madison, catching their attention. Misty puts her brush down and Zoe comes closer. 

 

“Alright, everybody spread out,” Cordelia says. “Misty and Queenie, you two walk around the block and see if you find her. Madison, I want you to check the street behind the neighborhood. Zoe, I want you to come with me and Coco; we’re gonna drive around for a little bit and look everywhere in a five-mile radius. I’m gonna go turn off the oven. I’ll meet you at the car.”

 

Without wasting so much as a second, everyone scatters. Cordelia quickly turns the oven off and snatches her car keys, running out the door to the driveway where Coco and Zoe wait. As they’re climbing in, a bark startles them. Zoe’s head snaps up from her gaze at her feet, and she finds a leashed Sandy hurrying towards her. She drops to her knees and holds out her arms. The pup jumps into her arms and yaps urgently. 

 

Sandy is dirty with mud and grime; unlike when Mallory took her for a walk. Zoe examines her and then their surroundings. Mallory is nowhere in sight, and Sandy has a thorn in her leash. 

 

“What is it, girl?” Zoe asks Sandy. “Huh? Where’d you come from? Where’s Mallory?”

 

Sandy begins to jump up and down, beckoning Zoe towards the end of the street. Zoe picks up the leash and looks at Cordelia, who is anxiously observing the interaction.

 

“I’m gonna follow her,” says Zoe. “She’s telling me something.”

 

“Zoe, it’s faster if we drive. She’s a dog, she’ll take you anywhere,” Cordelia replies.

 

“Yeah, she’s a dog, and they’re good at detecting things. She’s trying to tell us something important,” Zoe insists. “I’m following her.”

 

“Oh, fine,” Cordelia mutters with a roll of her eyes. “Come on, Coco.”

 

Sandy breaks into a run and takes Zoe with her. Cordelia and Coco attempt to keep up through the busy streets and thick bushes and trees. It seems they’re going nowhere, or a random place where the scent of other dogs is present, for at least ten minutes. Sandy never falters, though, and continues leading the witches through trails and woodsy areas—places Mallory should never be. Zoe recognizes the trail Sandy has pulled them onto; she and Mallory have taken her here a few times, but never far into the woods like this. 

 

When Cordelia believes Sandy is useless and they’re far enough from the house and wasting daylight, they stumble upon a clearing just off the trail they’ve been running on. In the center is Mallory, sitting on the ground, clutching her ankle in immense pain. She’s whimpering and looking around herself in fear. 

 

“Mallory!” Coco calls. 

 

“Coco? Coco!” Mallory cries, using her free hand to reach out to her.

 

All three women—and Sandy—hurry to the injured girl and rush to examine her. Her ankle is badly injured and turning a sickly purple—possibly sprained—but she seems otherwise unharmed, though beads of sweat drip down her face. 

 

“Mallory, are you okay?” Cordelia fusses, studying the wound. “Are you hurt anywhere else? What happened?”

 

Mallory winces and shakes her head. “I was walking Sandy, and she saw a squirrel and got excited, so she ran from me. I ran after her and tripped over a rock over there and kinda rolled down the hill and landed here. Sandy came back to me and then ran off. I thought I was stuck here.” 

 

“Yeah, because you left this at the house,” Coco says, presenting Mallory’s phone. “Don’t ever do that again. You scared me. You scared all of us!”

 

Mallory just nods, not having the will to speak between the pain and hunger she feels. Cordelia helps the girl up with Zoe’s assistance, and Mallory cries out for a second. Cordelia wraps an arm around her little waist and tries her best to support her on her own. 

 

“We have a long walk back home,” Zoe points out. “She can’t hop on one leg for that long.”

 

“Well, what are we gonna do? There’s not even a road to drive and pick her up,” Coco says. 

 

Zoe passes the leash over to Cordelia, who accepts it, although confused. Zoe then bends over just a little and motions at Mallory.

 

“Hop on,” she says.

 

“What?” Mallory hisses in pain. 

 

“Get on my back. I’m gonna carry you home. I feel partially responsible, so just do it. I can take it.”

 

Coco gently helps Mallory get onto Zoe’s back. Mallory wraps her arms around Zoe’s neck and secures her good leg around her waist while the injured one just dangles at her side. Cordelia remains silent throughout this moment, clutching the leash until her hand is sweaty in the blistering heat. 

 

They walk home with Sandy taking the lead again, and the rest of the girls are sitting on the porch when they return. Mallory’s safe return is received with sighs of relief and questions flying at her, which makes her head spin. The injured girl puts her head on Zoe’s shoulder. Madison feels the urge to yank her off by her damp locks, but she refrains for her own sake. 

 

“Give her some room,” Cordelia scolds when Misty begins to fuss over Mallory. 

 

“Where’d you find her?” Queenie asks. “We looked all over!”

 

“She tripped, fell, and ended up in the clearing off the trail they walk Sandy on,” Cordelia explains. “Sandy ran all the way back here and took us to her. Her ankle looks badly sprained, but it’s nothing I can’t fix.”

 

“Oh, so you mean fucking Lassie is actually good for something other than chewing up Burberry?” Madison snaps. 

 

Cordelia clears her throat. “Yes, she is. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have found Mallory.”

 

“If we didn’t have her, baby supreme wouldn’t have been on that stupid trail in the first place,” Madison counters. 

 

“Madison, now is not the time to argue,” warns Cordelia. “But I will say this; Zoe, Mallory, I’m sorry I’ve been hard on you about Sandy. I’m calling off the deal. If you want to keep her, you can. I’m not going to make this any harder than it’s already been. So, you can call this her forever home if you want.”

 

“Really?” Zoe’s eyes grow wide, and she nearly drops Mallory. “We can keep her?”

 

“Yes, but please, try to avoid situations like this. Make sure she’s always clean, and get her some training lessons. Those are my only conditions.”

 

Mallory reaches one hand down to pet Sandy’s head. “You hear that, girl? You’re staying with us!” 

 

Sandy barks and rolls over in the grass. Cordelia can’t help but chuckle. 

 

Madison rolls her eyes. “Alright, this was fun and all, but I’m starving! Zoe and baby supreme get to keep their mutt, and we all get our bullshit happy ending. Now can we go eat?”

 

“Yes, Madison, after I fix up Mallory’s ankle real quick,” Cordelia says, offering the leash to Misty. “Everybody go inside.”

 

Zoe carries Mallory inside and gently deposits her on Cordelia’s bed. Cordelia gathers up her supplies to nurse the bruised ankle back health, but she finds the cover of her spell book has been gnawed on. Her face flushes in anger, and she looks to Sandy, who is loyally resting her head in Mallory’s lap. The retriever’s ears perk up at Cordelia and she whines innocently.

 

“You’re lucky you saved Mallory. Otherwise you’d be in a kennel,” Cordelia tells Sandy, though she doesn’t feel she means it. The smile on Zoe’s face proves that, too. 

 


	7. Communicable Coven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The coven faces a flu outbreak while Cordelia organizes an open house.

Nobody noticed Misty was sick until Cordelia found her hugging the toilet one Saturday morning. The poor woman had been there for who knows how long, and it was only until Cordelia helped her back to bed that she realized the front of her nightshirt was stained with vomit. The fever had also gotten the best of her; she began calling Cordelia an angel as the older woman laid her down in her bed and tucked her in.

 

For the last two days, Cordelia has kept Misty quarantined inside her bedroom, after subsequently moving Queenie out of there and into Coco and Mallory’s room. She checks on her every two hours, around the clock, while monitoring the other witches very closely for any symptoms. 

 

It’s unusual to see the flu this time of year, but Cordelia is aware that the season is slowly creeping upon them and she needs the girls vaccinated immediately before Misty infects them, or worse, they infect someone else, someone like a baby or the frail elderly. She fears it’s already too late, but she is all for trying. The new school year is scheduled to begin in three weeks and she needs the house sterile and healthy. 

 

After making sure Misty is still alive, Cordelia calls the witches down into her office for an emergency meeting. She gathers up the papers and lesson plans on her desk and puts them aside as Madison and Zoe enter the room. Queenie and Mallory arrive seconds after, the latter holding a snack bag of Cheetos in her hand. Coco is the last to show; as always. 

 

“Everyone have a seat,” Cordelia says. “This is not a council meeting. It’s a family meeting.” 

 

Confused glances are shared between the five, but they comply with ease. Cordelia sits behind her desk and places her palms flat on it, hanging her head in frustration. She removes her reading glasses and rubs her eyes. 

 

“As we all know by now, Misty has the flu,” Cordelia begins. “She is very sick, but she is slowly getting better with the potions and herbal teas I’ve been giving her. Now, I don’t want any of you to become sick, too, especially with our school year beginning in three weeks. I want all of you to get the flu shot, okay? I can take you all tomorrow to Walgreens and get it done quickly. In the meantime, keep your hands clean, do not share any utensils or cups, and stay out of crowded places until you’ve been vaccinated.”

 

“You can’t make us get vaccinated if we’re opposed to it,” Coco says. “Look, I’m not an anti-vaxxer, but last time I got the flu shot, I swelled up like a balloon! It was terrible! Besides, aren’t germs good for you or something? Like, they build immunity?”

 

Cordelia slowly blinks. She knows that children being exposed to everyday germs is a natural way to build immunity, but with so much on the line at this time of year and all the plans she’s yet to even discuss, she is not willing to risk it. 

 

“Coco, please, nobody wants the flu. It’s terrible and the recovery is long and miserable. Another thing I should discuss while we’re all here; I’m holding an open house this weekend. Parents looking to enroll their daughters can come by for a visit to tour the house and make their final decision. I need you all in top shape and health for this event. All hands on deck,” Cordelia says. “The vaccine takes a while to kick in, so we need to do it immediately. I cannot risk any of you getting sick.”

 

“A little late to be telling us this, isn’t it, Cordy?” Madison clicks her tongue. “Misty already spread her nasty-ass germs everywhere, and how are we supposed to get ready for an open house that’s in five days? You really suck at preparing.”

 

Cordelia unintentionally clenches her hand into a fist. She inhales peace and exhales tension, like Misty taught her, counting to ten in her mind. She gives Madison a tight smile, the edges of her eyes not quite crinkling.

 

“Don’t worry about that, Madison. I am taking care of it just fine,” Cordelia assures. “But I am taking you all to get your vaccines tomorrow, Coco included. I need you to be healthy. I’m already running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get this school year in order and taking care of Misty. This is serious business. Summer is almost over. Your fun is over. Time to get back to reality.”

 

Mallory absentmindedly nods in agreement, sucking Cheeto dust off her thumb. Cordelia watches her in disgust and reaches over the desk to take the empty bag from her. She throws it in the trash and offers Mallory hand sanitizer.

 

“None of that, please,” Cordelia says. “Clean hands.”

 

“I think I’m immune to diseases,” Mallory says. “I never get sick. Ever. I’m the healthiest person in my family.”

 

“You aren’t supreme yet, idiot,” Madison snaps at her. “You don’t get full immunity until you rise. Stop rubbing it in our faces.” 

 

Mallory recoils at Madison’s harsh tone. Zoe whispers a short lecture in Madison’s ear as she squeezes her hand to bring her back to earth. There is nothing more lethal than a hot-headed Madison. 

 

“All I said was I never get sick. Do you have to be such a—such a . . .” Mallory trails off and looks away from the burning glare Madison is sending her way as if it burned her. 

 

“What? What’re you gonna say, huh?” Madison taunts as she leans closer to Mallory over Queenie, who is barely separating the two from clawing each other. “Go on and say it, you little pussy.”

 

Cordelia slams her hand on the desk. The cup of pens falls over and Coco and Zoe jump in fright. 

 

“That’s enough! You’re all getting vaccinated and following my precautions until I’m sure Misty is better. In the meantime, we are sterilizing this house. I will not have anyone getting sick. We are all a family, so we are all pitching in to help. Meeting adjourned. Now go clean something, starting with yourselves,” Cordelia barks. 

 

Queenie and Zoe are first to get up and leave the room, though Zoe has to urge Madison follow, yanking her by the arm in warning not to jump Mallory and pummel her into the ground. Coco goes to talk to Cordelia but it halted by Mallory putting her hand on her shoulder and shaking her head with her lips pursed. 

 

To placate the younger woman, Coco subtly nods and allows her to lead her upstairs to their bedroom, but she makes a mental note to herself that her argument is not yet over. 

 

+++

 

“Jesus fucking Christ, can someone tell Misty to shut up already?!”

 

Cordelia’s eyes crack wide open at the sound of Madison’s voice in close proximity. She must have fallen asleep going over her open house plan, because when she lifts her head, her papers are covered in her own drool. She wipes her chin and squirts some sanitizer into her palm. 

 

She’s just in time to see Madison stomp around the corner with a pack of cigarettes in her hand. The former actress makes a show of throwing herself into the seat in front of Cordelia’s desk and placing a fresh cigarette between her pink lips before lighting it up with her new black and purple lighter.

 

“Madison, I’ve told you to stop smoking in the house,” Cordelia chides. “Especially with Misty being sick. Have some respect and put that out.”

 

Madison takes a drag and exhales it openly into the air. Cordelia chews the inside of her lip and tries the breathing thing again, but it’s difficult when the air is tainted with chemicals. 

 

“Well, I’m here because of Misty, anyways,” Madison says. “She’s playing the same stupid song over and over. I went in there and turned it off—“

 

“You went into her room? Madison, she has the flu! She is quarantined! Why would you do that?” Cordelia asks in disbelief. 

 

“If you’d stop flapping your gums, I could tell you why!” Madison inhales another puff and exhales it twice as fast. “Anyway, she was playing the same song very loudly, so I went in there and turned it off. She started whining and crying about how it makes her feel better, then said she was gonna tell on me, but I asked her how she could even get out of bed, and she used telekinesis and threw a book at me. I dodged it, though and it hit her instead. My problem is that she needs to stop acting so entitled just because she’s sick.”

 

Cordelia stopped listening after “hit her instead”, and she’s on her feet and running upstairs to Misty’s room, which has the door ajar. She curses to herself and makes sure the door is tightly closed behind her when she enters. 

 

It’s an ungodly sight to see Misty curled up in her bundle of blankets of pillows surrounded in used tissues and a tray of untouched dry toast and juice. Leather and Lace gently plays on the antique radio sat on the nightstand, while Misty is lightly nodding her head to the beat. The Cajun witch’s face lights up when she sees Cordelia enter the room. 

 

“I see you’ve regained some color,” Cordelia muses as she sits on the edge of the bed. “Madison told me what happened. Are you okay?” 

 

Misty nods and taps her forehead. “If anything, the hit improved my headache.”

 

Cordelia makes an empathetic sound and brushes the unkempt curls from Misty’s face. Her skin is still abnormally warm, but it seems to have gone down a degree or maybe even two. 

 

“I’m sure you’ll be better soon,” assures Cordelia in a gentle tone. “At least, I hope you’re mostly better by this weekend for the open house.” 

 

Misty’s brows furrow and her lips do that weird little pucker that’s oddly adorable. “Open house?”

 

“Yes, I’m holding an open house this weekend for parents and their daughters to take a tour if they’re considering enrolling. We have room for a few more, and I know a couple witches from last year won’t be returning. The only way for the world to accept us is inviting part of the world into our home,” Cordelia explains as she turns the volume knob on the radio. “You’re going to be alone for a little bit tomorrow; since you’ve been sick, I’ve gotten paranoid about the others catching the flu, so I’m taking them to be vaccinated in the morning.”

 

Misty lays down against her mountain of pillows and sniffs. Nothing more need be said in the moment; Misty calmly lays there, listening to Stevie, while Cordelia goes around the room collecting used Kleenex and the tray of stale food. The room reeks of sickness, but Cordelia holds off on using any chemicals when Misty’s respiratory system is struggling to keep her alive. 

 

“I’m gonna take these downstairs,” Cordelia tells Misty, gesturing to the tray of bowls and tissues. “Just yell if you need me, but please try to avoid coming into contact with the others. I’ll be in my office figuring out a plan for the open house.”

 

When being met with comfortable silence, Cordelia looks over her shoulder to see Misty fast asleep. She smiles to herself and gingerly closes the door behind herself. 

 

“Ah!” Cordelia shrieks when she spins around and bumps into Coco. “Coco! What are you doing? Why aren’t you in the den playing cards with everybody else?”

 

“I don’t know; why are you making me get vaccinated against my will?” Coco smarts off, folding her arms over her chest. 

 

If she weren’t carrying a tray of infected objects, Cordelia would rub her temples. She loves all her witches to pieces, and they are her reason for life and love, but goddamnit, can they be incredibly stubborn and irritating at times. 

 

“Coco, please, don’t be difficult with me about this,” sighs Cordelia. “Misty is very sick. The open house is in less than a week and I need everyone to be their healthiest. The new school year begins in three weeks time. You have to understand that I’m not doing this to punish or upset you; I’m doing this for the health of my coven. It would be irresponsible of me to allow everybody else to get sick. Everybody is getting vaccinated tomorrow. End of.”

 

Brushing past a slack-jawed Coco, Cordelia totes the tray to the kitchen and sanitarily deposits the tissues into the trash before rinsing off the plates with hot water and antibacterial soap. She sprays the sink with a bleach water solution and scrubs it down before using a bit of Lysol on the countertops. Although she is immune to illness, she can’t help but to feel so dirty and grimy. 

 

After thoroughly scrubbing her hands raw, she dries them with a washcloth and turns around to find Zoe preparing a bowl of cereal on the tray she just took from Misty’s room. She puts a hand out to stop Zoe from touching it anymore.

 

“Stop,” Cordelia says, “I just took that out of Misty’s room and forgot to wash it. Don’t even eat from that bowl.”

 

Zoe takes the bowl off the tray and frowns at Cordelia. “It’s didn’t touch my cereal; it’s fine. Besides, I’ve literally never gotten the flu. Colds, yes, all the time, but not the flu. I’m not trying to sound like Mallory, but it’s true. I’m not scared of the flu. I’m getting my shot tomorrow anyway.” 

 

“Honey, please don’t eat that. You touched the tray,” Cordelia explains. “The flu is serious and you shouldn’t think you’re immune to it just because you’ve never gotten it. It starts somewhere. You could catch it tonight and tomorrow would mean nothing.”

 

Zoe shovels some cereal into her mouth and shrugs, happily licking the spoon. Cordelia observes, horrified, and snatches the tray from her to wash it. The younger witch takes her bowl upstairs, leaving Cordelia shaking her head in disappointment. 

 

Tomorrow cannot arrive fast enough.

 

+++

 

Cordelia dumps the contents of her purse onto the table, searching madly for her insurance card. She’s gathered the girls’ cards and has prepared for everyone but herself this morning. Her desperate attempt to get the others out of the house and vaccinated before noon is slowly withering away as time goes on and she’s without her card. 

 

Muttering to herself, the supreme checks her wallet once more, hoping the card is wedged behind another somewhere. It’s now ten in the morning, getting closer to lunchtime, and she’s already failed at getting them to Walgreens on time. 

 

“God, I’m such an idiot,” she tells herself as she unearths her insurance card from the back zipper pocket of her wallet. She reassembles her gigantic purse and swings it over her shoulder, calling towards the stairs. “Girls! Get moving! Time for your shots!”

 

She puts her watch on her wrist and taps the face, sighing in annoyance when no one comes down. She checked on the swamp witch not too long ago—when she remembered she couldn’t find her card—and she was sound asleep. She doesn’t have the heart to wake Misty from her medication-induced slumber to tell her they’re leaving; she’ll be just fine. At least, that’s what Cordelia hopes. 

 

Zoe is the first to descend the stairs, and Cordelia smiles, but it quickly vanishes when she sees a fresh vomit stain on Zoe’s shirt. 

 

“She threw up on me,” Zoe says curtly.

 

“Who?”

 

“Madison. I woke her up a few minutes ago because she just wouldn’t get up. She was tired and lethargic and wouldn’t move. She felt warm when I touched her, and she was whining, but not like she usually does. It sounded like she was in pain. Then she sat up and puked all over the place,” Zoe explains. 

 

“Dear god,” Cordelia gasps, dropping her purse and running upstairs to Madison’s bedroom. “Madison? Madison, I heard you vomited.”

 

Upon entering the room, Cordelia is greeted with the unholy sight of Madison balled up on her and Zoe’s shared bed, laid in a puddle of her own vomit. Cordelia tries not to breathe; not because she fears contamination, but because it fucking reeks. 

 

“Oh, Madison,” Cordelia whispers. She touches her hot forehead, causing Madison to whimper and flinch away. “Shh. Hey, it’s okay. That flu spread very fast, didn’t it?”

 

Madison whines in response. Cordelia makes a sound of pity, then tries to assist Madison in sitting up on her own. Madison whines in protest and weakly pushes Cordelia away, but Cordelia keeps her hold on her and steadies her. The former star is covered from her messy hair to her torso in a layer of yellowish vomit. 

 

“You’re burning up,” Cordelia says. “What else hurts?”

 

“My—my head,” Madison sniffs. “My throat.” 

 

Her lips are dry and cracked, too. It’s clear she is very dehydrated. Cordelia gets a glass cup from the bathroom and fills it with water. She offers it to Madison, who refuses it at first, but reluctantly sips on it a few times. 

 

“You can’t get vaccinated,” Cordelia tells Madison, brushing her dirty hair from her face. “You need to stay here. I’m gonna clean you up, change you, and put you with Misty. I don’t want Zoe sick before the vaccine kicks in.”

 

Much to Cordelia’s shock, Madison doesn’t object to that plan, be it from being too exhausted and ill or because she doesn’t have the energy left, but whatever the reason, she’s compliant, for once. 

 

After wetting a cloth with warm water and soap, Cordelia rubs the vomit from Madison’s hair and pulls it back into a tight ponytail that accentuates her face a lot more. 

 

“I have to get you out of these clothes,” says Cordelia. “Raise your arms.”

 

Madison shakes her head and wraps her arms around her torso. Cordelia sighs and tries to tug at her shirt’s hem, but Madison quickly slaps her hand away and whines. 

 

“Shh. No, no,” Cordelia coos, pulling the shirt up. “You’re alright. I have to get you changed.”

 

In a fluid motion, Cordelia removes Madison’s soiled shirt and scrambles around to find a clean one while the latter sits on the bed with her top half fully exposed. The supreme chooses a loose cotton tee and slips it over Madison’s head as Madison’s whimpering grows more urgent. 

 

“It’s okay, Madison,” Cordelia assures. She wipes the stray tears on Madison’s cheeks and rubs her back. “Come with me. You have to be put with Misty so you don’t get Zoe sick.”

 

Cordelia begins to exit the room, but Madison stays put. When the supreme looks back, Madison is looking at her with helpless eyes akin to a wounded kitten in a box. She raises her arms, and Cordelia’s brows furrow. 

 

“Madison, you can walk,” says Cordelia. 

 

“Nooo,” Madison whines. She reaches out towards the only motherly figure she’s ever had with such urgency and demand. “I don’t wanna. You’re supposed to take care of me!” 

 

Cordelia bites her lip in uncertainty, and then scoops Madison up from under her arms. The girl is so small that she weighs no more than a leaf. Her legs wrap around Cordelia’s waist and her arms around her neck as she lays her head on her shoulder. 

 

“Spoiled brat,” she halfheartedly chides at Madison. 

 

As Cordelia prepares to carry her to Misty’s bedroom, Zoe enters, pulling at her wet shirt. She halts in the doorway upon seeing her supreme holding her girlfriend on her hip like a child. Her lips begin to twitch upwards. 

 

Cordelia clicks her tongue. “Crack a smile and you’re taking over any classes Queenie doesn’t want for a month.”

 

Zoe covers her mouth to hide it, but the crinkle of her eyes reveals her grin.

 

+++

 

After hauling the remainder of the witches to Walgreens and having them all vaccinated—which was a shitshow in itself—, it’s almost noon and Cordelia’s not prepped anything for lunch. With Madison and Misty being dangerously sick, she doesn’t find any appeal in using her own hands to cook after she touched them earlier. She shoves a stick of butter and a pan into Zoe’s hands, asking her to prepare grilled cheese sandwiches for them while she heats up a can of soup for Madison and Misty. 

 

Zoe grabs the bread and begins to butter it while Queenie, Coco, and Mallory anxiously wait in hunger. Cordelia can feel their bellies rumbling in her own, and part of her feels overwhelmed that they’re hungry and she’s too busy playing nurse to take care of them the way she should. However, Zoe seems confident in her ability to make four sandwiches. How hard is it to grill buttered bread and pour some chips on a plate?

 

Upstairs, Misty and Madison patiently wait for whatever culinary monstrosity Cordelia was planning to serve them this afternoon. Madison is sprawled out on Queenie’s bed, her head stuffed under the pillow to drown out the sound of Leather and Lace as every muscle in her body throbs.

 

Cordelia brings them soup and crackers, but Madison refuses it. Misty graciously takes her bowl and sips from the rim while Cordelia attempts to coax Madison into trying it. 

 

“I’m nauseous,” Madison moans. “I want Zoe.” 

 

“You know she can’t be near you, Madison,” Cordelia explains. “I need her healthy and well; you’ll get her sick easy.” 

 

“I thought she got her shot,” Madison says with a pout. “I want her to lay with me.” 

 

“It doesn’t start working right away. I want you better before you come in contact with her again,” Cordelia tells the disheartened young woman, pulling the blankets over her. “You need to rest.”

 

Whether from the lethargy, or from the persistent throbbing across her body, Madison falls against the pillows. Cordelia tucks her in tight and brushes a quick kiss over her forehead. 

 

“Get some sleep,” whispers Cordelia, after she’s found that Misty finished half her soup and has fallen asleep. 

 

Getting up to leave, Cordelia is pulled back down to the bed by a clammy hand. Madison looks at her precariously, eyeing her like a beaten animal in a ditch desperately seeking out a savior. 

 

“I can’t stay with you, sweet pea,” Cordelia says soothingly. “I have to check on the others.”

 

Madison squawks in contempt. It’s a typical behavior; even when sickly, Madison can’t help but to act out and create a problem for Cordelia. 

 

“I know you’re sick, but you still need to listen and behave.” Cordelia’s inflection leaves no room for wavering; Madison nods and leans against the pillows. 

 

Cordelia nods once in approval and shuts the door behind herself on the way downstairs. She remembers Fiona’s bedside manner, the way she left ten-year-old Cordelia stranded in her bed with a bottle of Tylenol and a box of tissues, and then she’s running back to Misty’s room.

 

+++

 

The remaining 48 hours until the open house are packed with cleaning supplies and recipe books. Misty, feeling 80 percent well by this time, has been allowed out of quarantine once Cordelia declared her fever-free and okay to be in the presence of the others. On the other hand, Madison remains trapped in Misty and Queenie’s bedroom, engulfed in snotty tissues and general filth. 

 

After getting the house into a much better state of cleanliness than it has seen all summer, the witches take a well-deserved break. Cordelia studies a cookbook for a simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies she can present to her guests at the open house to welcome them into her home. Baking is usually Misty’s forte, but Cordelia is willing to try her hand at it. 

 

“These sound good,” Cordelia says, skimming over a recipe. “Few ingredients, short prep time, and makes two dozen.”

 

Misty looms over her shoulder. “Hm. I still think you should let me take care of it. You aren’t exactly great with an oven.”

 

Cordelia’s eyebrow quirks up. “Excuse me? Weren’t you the one who forgot the meatloaf and nearly set the entire house ablaze?”

 

“It was one time! Give me a break! Besides, I tried to call Madison and she was being a butt. It’s not all my fault.”

 

Cordelia affectionately pats Misty’s head and resumes reading through the recipes. The sound of sniffling disrupts her peace, and she swivels her head to find Zoe rubbing her temples and massaging her neck. 

 

“Cordelia. . .I feel gross,” the young witch says. 

 

“Dear god, please tell me you mean you feel dirty after all the cleaning you did,” Cordelia gasps. 

 

“No. I feel sick. My throat and ears hurt really bad. And I’m very cold.”

 

Misty touches Zoe’s forehead and looks at Cordelia with certainty. “She’s got a fever.”

 

“Fuck,” Cordelia curses and points to the staircase. “Alright, you’re in quarantine. Upstairs. Right now. Madison could use some company.”

 

Cordelia helps Zoe up the stairs and deposits her next to Madison, who has been playing a game on her phone for the last few hours while her Day-Quil kicks in. 

 

“You are both to stay here until I deem you well enough to participate with the rest of the coven,” Cordelia tells Zoe and Madison, though Madison’s heard the verbal essay a good three times. “I don’t know how it spread so damn fast, but it’s detrimental to the coven. I’m going to keep giving you both herbal teas and medication until you are free of fevers.”

 

“But Cordelia,” Zoe whines, “what about the open house?”

 

“I’m taking care of everything. Misty can help me. You might just have to miss it. I want you both to rest up, but no funny business and no fooling around.” 

 

Madison gives Zoe a look; they understand the real meaning behind that implication. 

 

Cordelia draws the curtains to reduce the chances of giving them a headache, and gives Zoe a Tylenol for her ears. She kisses the tops of both their heads and hurries downstairs to inform the others that they are now two witches short. 

 

“We really have to get it together,” Cordelia tells Queenie, Misty, Coco, and Mallory. “Zoe and Madison are stuck in quarantine and I need the rest of you to be on your best behavior for this open house. It’s not going to be easy, but I think, will all our efforts, we just might make it out alive. To be frank, Zoe is my hardest worker and now she can’t do anything, so I need you all to give it 110 percent this weekend.”

 

“I’m not gonna get sick,” Mallory repeats. “I might just be the last one standing.”

 

“Girl, shut up,” Queenie says. “Karma is gonna come back on you for saying that.”

 

Mallory sticks her tongue out. 

 

“Alright, that’s enough,” scolds Cordelia. “We still have work to finish. Let’s get it done.”

 

Cordelia claps, and they all scatter. For only a split second, peaceful silence falls across the house.

 

+++

 

Cordelia doesn’t know how Madison and Zoe wound up in her bed, but whatever the reason, they’re here, and the poor, exhausted supreme hasn’t gotten any sleep with Zoe wedged under her left arm and Madison sprawled out on her right with her feet just inches from Cordelia’s face. 

 

The clock ticks faster in the dead of night, so it seems. She woke up at midnight to find both girls fast asleep in her bed, and somehow she’s managed to stare at the clock for two hours without a wink of sleep. The open house is in approximately seven hours; if she doesn’t get some shut-eye now, she may not even be awake to see it.

 

Neither Zoe or Madison snore, but their breathing is heavily obstructed by phlegm. They frequently wake for short periods of time before drifting back off, which is the only way Cordelia is aware they’re alive; they’re almost dead still the rest of the time. 

 

Madison shifts in her sleep, one arm flying across Cordelia’s abdomen, and Cordelia groans. She pats Madison’s belly.

 

“Madison, honey, stop moving so much,” Cordelia says. “Come on, go on to your room now.”

 

Madison sighs and kicks out, nearly catching Cordelia, who dodges it with a millimeter to spare. Zoe repositions herself and throws her head into Cordelia’s breast, eliciting a yelp. Her eyes lazily open and stare tiredly at Cordelia for a brief moment, their vulnerability shining, then she’s back into dreamland. 

 

“I should stop giving you cough syrup,” mutters Cordelia to herself. 

 

Madison begins to hack up a lung. Moving Zoe so she is flat on the bed, Cordelia pushes herself up and grabs the small blonde, helping her sit upright while she rubs her back. 

 

“C’mon, get it out,” Cordelia whispers. She coaxes a large, phlegmy cough out of Madison after a minute of patting her back, and wipes her mouth with a tissue. “Good girl.”

 

Though not awake close enough to comprehend anything, Madison settles against Cordelia’s chest and stays there, sucking on her bottom lip, for some reason. Despite Cordelia feeling she is too old for that, her heart melts into a puddle. How could she not find that cute?

 

All consideration of carrying them back to their own room is out of the question now. Cordelia lays back and allows the night to grab her by throat and strangle her. 

 

She doesn’t sleep that night.

 

+++

 

“Cordelia! Cordelia! Open up!”

 

The supreme’s eyes shoot open to the sound of fists pounding on her door. Upon looking around herself, Cordelia finds blinding sunlight from all corners. Odd, considering seven in the morning doesn’t normally produce this much light. 

 

Surprised to find Madison and Zoe haven’t moved an inch, she hauls Zoe over herself to get out of bed and open the door. Misty anxiously waits there, her hair frizzy and unkempt, as if she’s been pulling at it for hours. 

 

“Good morning, Misty,” Cordelia yawns. Her eyelids begin to collapse. “What are you doing up so early?” 

 

“Did you forget what today is?” Misty hurriedly asks. 

 

Cordelia tries her hardest to think. It’s no one’s birthday, it’s not a holiday, and she doesn’t have a meeting. What could Misty be going on about?

 

“Remind me.”

 

Misty throws her arms in the air and flails around. “Open house! It’s eight am! Doors open at nine!” 

 

Cordelia loses all facial color. Her heart jumps from sixty to a thousand in seconds. She spins on her heel and grabs her robe, tugging it on with a force that could reposition the sun.

 

“God, I have so much to do! I didn’t sleep last night, I have two sick girls in my bed, I need to make cookies and lemonade and hang the banner, and I need to get the others up and ready and on their best behavior!” Cordelia cries. “What am I gonna do?”

 

“Start by getting dressed,” Misty suggests, pointing to Cordelia’s pajamas. “No worries; the cookies are baking and the lemonade is ready. Coco and Mallory are hangin’ up the welcome banner and balloons, and Queenie is doing a last-minute clean up. I got it all covered. But you need to be presentable. At least. . .”

 

Teary-eyed, Cordelia wraps Misty in her arms and takes a second to affectionately squeeze her tight. She thanks her profusely and sends her off downstairs while she gets dressed and curls her hair. Neither Zoe or Madison wake the entire time. 

 

+++

 

Team effort goes a long way; the house is immaculate and couldn’t look any better. In fact, Cordelia can see her reflection in the tile. The witches—save for Zoe and Madison, who remain in Cordelia’s bed—are suited up in their classic black attire, standing in a straight line in the foyer, with their hands folded in front of them. They smile warmly, with their shoulders perfectly aligned and their feet accurately positioned.

 

It’s a family photo Cordelia has always dreamed of but never gets the chance to experience.”

 

“You all look so great,” Cordelia says, trying not to yawn. “I wish Zoe and Madison could be here, but this will just have to do. Remember, best behavior. No funny business today. Act like you’ve got it together. And be nice to our guests.”

 

“Yes, Cordelia,” they murmur in unison. 

 

She must be dreaming. This can’t be real.

 

Nine strikes, and Cordelia opens the door, using the stopper to hold it. Within minutes, a car comes to a steady stop beyond the gate, which Misty opened with a wave of her hand earlier this morning.

 

Out of the Lexus comes a well-dressed man. He opens the passenger door to reveal a girl of maybe fifteen years of age, with soft wavy ginger locks that touch her shoulders, and bright green eyes to boot. Cordelia excitedly but patiently waits for them on the porch, then welcomes them inside. 

 

“What a lovely home,” the man says as he enters. “Cordelia Goode?”

 

Cordelia extends her hand for him to shake. “That’s me. Supreme, headmistress. . .mother hen.”

 

“I’m Eric,” he introduces himself, then gently pushes the girl forward. “This is Alice. Alice, say hello to the nice woman.”

 

Alice awkwardly does a side-step and shuffles behind her father, and it’s somehow amusing to Cordelia. What child would find her frightening? Besides Mallory when Cordelia raises a wooden spoon? 

 

“Alice, behave,” Eric scolds. He looks at Cordelia. “I’m sorry. She is very shy. But she is also very powerful. I wanted her to attend so she could gain confidence in her magic and stop being so timid. She’s only fourteen; she has a lot to learn.”

 

Cordelia bends a little to get a better look at Alice, who shies from her. Deciding to move forward for the time being, Cordelia introduces the witches in turn, starting with Queenie. 

 

“There are two more, but they are currently unavailable. However, one of them will be instructing Alice, if you decide to enroll,” Cordelia explains to Eric after dismissing the girls so she can give a tour of the house. “Follow me.”

 

She leads them through the house while explaining what each room is for, also including curriculum and lesson plans. Eric and Alice marvel at the architecture of the house, stunned by the beauty it provides. 

 

“I pride myself in taking the upmost care of every witch in my coven,” Cordelia says confidently. “I believe that every witch is special, not only as a witch, but as a woman. I give these girls choices, provide them with the guidance they need to survive magic and womanhood, and help them flourish into women. I’ve raised a few of them from shy teenagers to strong, independent young ladies. Magic happens every day here, but it’s not only spells and potions; it’s life, too.”

 

Alice smiles and tugs on her father’s sleeve, nodding in approval. 

 

Turning a corner, Cordelia bumps into someone. Zoe teeters on her feet, stumbling back. Cordelia’s jaw clenches.

 

“Zoe, what are you doing?” Cordelia growls between gritted teeth. “Get back in the room.”

 

“But it’s time for my breathing treatment,” Zoe whines. “You said you’d set it up.”

 

Cordelia looks over her shoulder and smiles tightly at Eric and Alice, attempting to conceal her throbbing vein. 

 

“This is Zoe Benson,” Cordelia says calmly, though her heart feels like it’s going to combust. “She is one of the best teachers this academy has seen in its time. Unfortunately, she is a bit under the weather and cannot participate in the open house, but if Alice decides to stay, Zoe will be teaching her every day.”

 

Zoe sneezes. Cordelia almost bursts into flames. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” Zoe says. “I’ll go back upstairs. But I need my treatment!”

 

“Yes, I will be up there in a few minutes after I finish here, okay? Now go on.” Cordelia pushes Zoe towards the stairs and redirects her attention to the task at hand. 

 

Continuing the tour, Cordelia attempts to give a brief summary on Salem’s history and the witch trials, and as time goes on, Madison finds her way downstairs with a thermometer protruding from her mouth. 

 

“Madison!” Cordelia snaps. 

 

“Do I have a fever?” the young woman asks, offering a slobbery thermometer to her supreme.

 

“Yes. Yes, you do. Get upstairs. Now,” Cordelia snarls. 

 

“I need Motrin.”

 

“Madison, I’m busy,” Cordelia whispers. 

 

“Is now a bad time?” Eric asks. 

 

“No! No no, it’s the perfect time! We are almost finished and then you are free to explore and make your decision,” Cordelia quickly explains, then looks at Madison. “Upstairs. Right now.”

 

After whining some more, Madison drags herself up the stairs. Cordelia brushes off her skirt and wraps up the tour, leaving Eric and Alice to their own devices as she returns to the foyer to find two more families and their little ladies patiently awaiting her. 

 

Zoe peeks around the corner, helplessly looking at Cordelia.

 

God, who put a curse on this family? 

 

+++

 

After a mostly successful open house and seven enrollment forms later, the day ends with two cookies and a drop of lemonade left. Cordelia prepares Zoe’s breathing treatment for her clogged airways and gets Madison’s Motrin as she promised, though every muscle in her body is screaming for rest. 

 

Misty took care of dinner for Cordelia, bless her sweet little heart. The supreme makes sure Zoe is doing her treatment correctly and forces a teaspoon of Motrin down Madison’s throat before turning in for the night, content with knowing she roped seven new witches in—including Alice—today. Her coven is now bursting at the seams and thriving as it should. Though Fiona isn’t here to see it, Cordelia hopes she’d be somewhat proud. 

 

She’s reading a book to unwind and rinse the day away, when her door creaks open. Coco tiptoes in. She is somewhat green in the face.

 

“One of those little bitches got me sick,” she spits at Cordelia.

 

Sighing, Cordelia closes her book, puts on her slippers, and goes down to the greenhouse as the sun sets to prepare an herbal tea. It is now that she realizes, her job never stops. Through day and night, rain and shine, she is bound to this life; taking care of the girls, keeping order, making sure everything is okay while receiving nothing but backtalk in return. She didn’t choose this lifestyle, but if she could, she would choose it again and again, because knowing she’s doing something for the better is worth it.

 

Though, she’s not sure it’s worth the intense throbbing she’s experiencing tonight, but that’s a problem she’ll worry about when she has the time. Right now, she has to take care of her girls. That’s all she knows how to do. 


	8. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week before the witches are due to return for the new school year, Cordelia decides to make some changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a soft spot for Madison. I said what I said.
> 
> —Sincerely, Sierra

Cordelia springs awake to the sound of the new alarm she set for seven am on her phone last night. A week shy of the witches returning to the academy for a brand new school year, a laundry list of things needs to be completed, and it needs to be completed within the following seven days.

 

Wasting no time to stretch or smooth her hair, the supreme is out of bed and pulling on her house slippers and silky white robe that flows like melting white chocolate. She made a mental note of what needs to be taken care of first, and that is cleaning out every room and closet in the house. Finding pleasure in housework is difficult, especially when she has witches like Madison and Coco to handle while she’s doing it—perhaps an outdoor chore is more ideal for them. 

 

The girls are not yet adjusted back into their school schedules, so Cordelia chooses today to begin weaning them back onto early mornings. She flounces down the halls, knocking on every door in turn and calling their names one by one.When no one responds to her calls, or opens their door, Cordelia becomes disgruntled and irritable. 

 

“Girls! Zoe, Madison, Mallory! Let’s go! We have a long day ahead!” Cordelia shouts as she stands in the middle of the hallway. “Get a move on!”

 

Zoe exits her and Madison’s room, toweling off her soaked hair. She walks towards her supreme as she wrings out her long, wet strands. It seems as though she caught the early worm rather than Cordelia; she’s wearing sweatpants and a loose-fitting tee, and her energy is much brighter than that of Cordelia. Cordelia can sense the buzzing feeling radiating off of her. 

 

“I’m awake,” Zoe yawns. “I could hardly sleep last night, so I just decided to get up and shower.”

 

“Well, good,” Cordelia hums in approval. “I suppose it will be easy for you to return to your normal schedule, then, right?” 

 

Rubbing her face, Zoe looks at her supreme with heavy-lidded eyes and cocks her head, asking in a dumbfounded tone, “For what?”

 

“The witches are coming back in just one week, remember? New school year?” 

 

Zoe’s once tired eyes light up like Cordelia’s just reminded her that it’s Christmas morning, and she grins from ear to ear. Cordelia chuckles and lightly pinches her cheek. 

 

“We have to get this house in order, starting downstairs,” Cordelia states. “Get moving. We have a lot of work to do.”

 

Wrapping her hair up in the towel, Zoe nods and follows her supreme down the staircase that has been littered with sneakers and various other shoes, along with a few dog toys of Sandy’s that Mallory must have forgotten to put in the toy basket. Cordelia steps on a black Converse sneaker and picks it up by the laces, turning to Zoe. 

 

“Is this yours?” Cordelia questions. 

 

“I don’t think so. What size is it?” Zoe asks. 

 

Cordelia flips the tongue of the shoe and reads the faded tag. “Six women’s.”

 

“Mallory.” 

 

“God, look at this house!” Cordelia snaps as she gestures to the large space around them, flailing her arms—and the sneaker. “It’s a goddamn pig sty!”

 

Though she knows it’s a mere expression of anger, Zoe takes a look around the house; with every turn, there is another mess to clean. In the den, there is a corner specially made for the younger witches’ toys and crafts, complete with a dollhouse, a children’s book nook, and a very old tea set. The Victorian dollhouse that sits there has been opened and the pieces to it are scattered on the floor. Cordelia picks up one of the dolls.

 

“No one has played with this house since Talia’s been gone,” Cordelia points out. “Why is it open now? And who didn’t clean it up?”

 

Zoe just shrugs and gets to work on picking up the rest of the pieces, depositing them in their assigned bin. Cordelia throws the doll in the bin and attempts to suppress the overwhelmed feeling swelling in her belly. So much to do in so little time with so little help. The only person she knows who would help without a single complaint is Misty. 

 

Misty!

 

Making a beeline for the greenhouse, Cordelia hops over random shoes, dog toys, magazines, books, and articles of clothing strewn about the house. Once in the kitchen, she’s met with an overloaded dishwasher and an island hidden beneath a mountain of dishes that may or may not be dirty. Her eyes bug out and she does a 180 on her heels.

 

“Woah! What the hell happened to my kitchen last night?!” Cordelia cries.

 

Zoe balances on her tiptoes over Cordelia’s shoulder to understand what she’s talking about. 

 

“Misty was supposed to do the dishes last night,” Zoe says, “and I guess she thought she was supposed to wash literally all of them. That’s the only way I can explain this.” 

 

The vein in Cordelia’s forehead throbs with fury. Misty is a handful of something else, but though her vein pulsates, Cordelia doesn’t have the capacity to be angry for more than a fast minute. Misty was only trying to help—even if she created a bigger mess than the one she was cleaning up.

 

“I’m going to go find her,” Cordelia tells Zoe, avoiding looking at the monstrosity. “She’s usually awake before any of us. Now, will you do me a favor and get everyone else up and downstairs in my office in the next five minutes? Family meeting. Immediately.”

 

Zoe spins around and darts towards the stairs, and halfway there, she trips and lands belly-first, having every last bit of wind knocked from her lungs. She gasps and rolls over onto her back as Cordelia covers her mouth. 

 

“I found Mallory’s other shoe,” Zoe groans to the ceiling. 

 

Cordelia leaves her witch on the floor to track down Misty and get her to fix the disaster she made. It’s ten past seven and the day is already cursed. Hopefully, by noon, it will be charmed. 

 

+++

 

After tracking Misty and bringing her back inside to give her a short lecture about why it’s not a good idea to wash literally every dish in the house at once, Cordelia goes to her office where the rest of the tired and exhausted women wait quite impatiently for her. She sits at her desk and sighs. Her vein has gone down some.

 

“I know it’s very early—“ 

 

Coco, who awkwardly has a sleepy Mallory sat in her lap, scoffs. “Early?! Are you kidding?! It’s way before early! What happened to sleeping until noon? I was having a really good dream about never having credit card debt again and it was ruined by Zoe screeching at me!” 

 

Blinking twice, Cordelia moves her attention from Coco to look at the bigger group. Madison is curled on one chair with her chin rested on her knees, and Queenie and Zoe are sat in the longer seat with Misty gently resting on the arm of it. 

 

“Anyway, I want you to become used to these early mornings again,” Cordelia explains. “The girls will return in a week and our new year will begin. Everyone must be awake no later than seven. Classes begin at eight and end at three. Lunch is at eleven. But we aren’t going to do the same things as last year. Our lesson plans and teaching techniques are different, so I feel arrangements need to change. Coco and Mallory, and Queenie and Misty usually share a room with other—“

 

“—And it sucks,” Queenie cuts in. 

 

Cordelia nods once. “No worries, though, because I’m moving Mallory in with Madison and Zoe.”

 

Madison’s head snaps up, and she snarls at Cordelia. Zoe puts one arm in front of her to prevent her from jumping Cordelia over the desk. 

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Madison spits venomously at her supreme. “We don’t want that little shit in our room! We’re a couple and we like our privacy! It’s unfair to us if she’s always there, being annoying and breathing and shit.”

 

Coco holds Mallory closer to herself, glaring at Madison over her head. Her lips curl into a grimace that’s not quite as intimidating as she intended. Madison laughs pathetically at it, almost in a taunting way. 

 

“She is not annoying! And Cordelia, why are you moving her? You can’t separate us!” demands Coco towards Cordelia. 

 

“I think it’s time for a change around here. And besides, there are a few more students this year than the last. I need to move people around to make things work,” Cordelia explains. “I know it won’t be pretty, but it’s what needs to be done. Which is why I’m putting Queenie in a different room as well; she’ll be sharing with three students. You and Misty will share a room. You’ll see—in a few weeks, you won’t even care that you were moved.” 

 

Queenie raises her hand. “Now I have a problem.”

 

Cordelia clicks her tongue. “Tough. What kind of person would I be if I just gave you your way all the time?”

 

“An awesome one,” Madison says, “but you suck right now! This is totally stupid an unfair. What if me and Zoe wanna get freaky? Now we have baby supreme in our room while we’re trying to fuck. Put Mallory with Queenie. Or outside in a tent. Somewhere that’s not in our room.”

 

Zoe covers her hot cheeks with her hands and looks down, embarrassed. She murmurs Madison’s name in warning, but it’s so soft and fleeting that Madison doesn’t catch it—or she just chooses to ignore it. 

 

Pursing her lips, Cordelia shakes her head. “Absolutely not. The arrangements have been made. Now, for the second reason you’re here; this house, well, it’s just disgusting. There’s shoes and clothes all over the place, the kitchen is a wreck, and there’s dog slobber all over the windows in the ancestral room. I want this house in top shape by the time the students arrive. There are several Home Depot boxes waiting for you in the foyer. Everyone takes one and cleans out their room. If you’ve not worn or used it in six months, put it in the box. It’s going to be donated to the less fortunate. And yes, you must fill at least half that box. After that is done, we’ll get to work on cleaning. Any belongings left on the floor after we are finished will be thrown away or donated, as it seems you don’t care about them enough to keep them.”

 

“This is complete bullshit,” Madison says. 

 

Cordelia brushes the girl’s comment off and shuffles her disorganized papers. “Everyone will be assigned a chore. I will sweep and mop, Queenie will vacuum, Misty will dust, Mallory and Madison will wash the windows, Zoe and Coco will clean the bathrooms.” 

 

The subsequent chorus of moaning and cursing directed at Cordelia is music to her ears; it feels just like old times. A nostalgic feeling explodes in her chest. As much as she’s enjoyed the silence that the summer break provided, she’s missed the bickering and whining. 

 

“It is now seven-thirty in the morning,” declares the supreme, looking at the face of her watch, after the cussing dies down. “Let the day begin! Everybody get dressed and grab a box. No one has lunch until you’ve sorted through what you’re donating. Meeting adjourned.”

 

Nobody moves; half of them have fallen fast asleep where they sit. Cordelia sighs and makes her way to the stairs, tripping on another sneaker. 

 

“We’re never having lunch,” Cordelia whispers to herself. 

 

+++

 

Mallory is the first to complete filling up her donation box. She hauls it downstairs by the handle and drops it off in the foyer before going to the den where Cordelia and Misty are sorting through knickknacks from drawers and junk they found in the couch cushions. The young witch watches in amusement as Cordelia struggles to decide what she wants to hold onto and what she will force herself to get rid of.

 

“Do you want this?” Misty asks Cordelia, presenting a very old rag doll she unearthed from beneath the couch. 

 

Cordelia’s eyes flicker upon seeing the aged toy. She ponders for a moment, then purses her lips and shakes her head, shifting her gaze to anything else in the room. The uncertainty causes Misty to waver before she throws it in the donate box. 

 

“Mallory, have you finished your donation box?” Cordelia asks as she studies a withered Chutes and Ladders box. 

 

“Yep! All done. I filled it to the top,” she says proudly, grinning from ear to ear. 

 

The supreme nods in approval and puts the board game in the donate box. Mallory rocks back and forth on her heels, her lips tightly pursed. Despite noticing the nagging behavior, Cordelia focuses on sorting through the mountain of junk she and Misty have found in the den. 

 

While Mallory is not-so subtly trying to grab Cordelia’s very divided attention, Madison finds her way downstairs and purposely knocks into Mallory on her way to Cordelia. Sighing quietly, Cordelia drops the blanket she was observing and gathers her temper together. 

 

“Yes, Madison?” Cordelia says. 

 

“Will you tell Mallory to get her stuff off my bed? I’m gonna throw it out the window!” Madison snaps. 

 

“The bed closest to the window? That’s Mallory’s bed now. You and Zoe share the other one. I don’t see a problem.” Cordelia plays with an Etch-a-Sketch and tosses it into the keep box. 

 

“There’s a huge problem!” Madison cries, flailing her arms. “The fucking problem is that I don’t want her in my room! Me and Zoe have shared that room for six years and it should stay that way! It’s unfair to us that we have a stupid, annoying girl invading our space. It’s really funny how you never moved any of us but now that Zoe and I are a thing, you wedge her in!” 

 

Misty pretends she hears nothing and idly stands by, waiting for Cordelia to sort this out so they can finish organizing the room. Cordelia pinches the bridge of her nose, silently counting to ten. 

 

“Madison, please, this is not a punishment. I need more room for more witches, so unless you want to share a room with three students, I suggest you stop complaining,” Cordelia says. “It’s either Mallory or the students. Your choice.”

 

Glaring at Mallory over her shoulder, Madison stomps her foot in an insolent manner. Misty finds the reaction to Cordelia’s newest kludge to be quite amusing for the moment; the summer has been a bit boring for her. This is a nice change of scenery, though she hates when the girls fight. 

 

“This isn’t over,” Madison growls. She approaches the girl in a cat-like fashion. “Sleep with one eye open tonight, bitch.”

 

Mallory doesn’t fight back; not in the vicinity of the woman who controls her entire life and education. She doesn’t budge when Madison leaves the room after shoulder-checking her. 

 

“I don’t think she’ll do anything to me tonight,” Mallory mutters, “if I don’t go to sleep.”

 

“Tie your hair back real tight so she can’t swing you around with it,” Misty says. 

 

Cordelia shoots the swamp witch a very telling look. Misty shrugs.

 

“Anyway, I finished organizing my stuff and getting it together to move,” Mallory declares. “Coco is really upset. Can I. . .still go to her room? And sleep there sometimes? So she doesn’t feel so alone?”

 

Cordelia thinks it over for a second, then nods. “Yes, but not too often. I want you in your room more than in hers. And you both need to get proper amounts of sleep. Are we clear?”

 

“Yeah, we’re clear,” Mallory states, looking at the box. “What are you giving away?”

 

“Oh, just some old stuff,” Cordelia sighs. “Toys and things.”

 

“I’m sure Madison would be happy if you donated me,” Mallory says. 

 

“I bet so,” Cordelia laughs. 

 

Misty picks Mallory up from under her arms, and Cordelia grabs her ankles. Collectively, they push the girl into a ball and lower her into an empty box. Cordelia throws blankets and junk on top of her, causing her to giggle. 

 

“Now we just haul her out to the curb and wait till trash day,” Misty tells Cordelia, winking. 

 

“No!” Mallory squeals, trying to pull the blankets off. “Coco would be really sad. Even sadder than she is now.”

 

“Do you hear something?” Cordelia asks Misty. 

 

“Nope, not a thing.”

 

“You aren’t funny,” Mallory says, muffled. 

 

Coco enters the room, sulking. She passes by the large box where Mallory sits, and she jumps when it starts moving on its own. 

 

“What the fuck—what’s in there?” Coco asks Cordelia. 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” says the supreme as she stifles a laugh. 

 

Mallory throws the blanket off her head, popping up like a groundhog. Her cheeks are flushed with heat and struggle, and she sighs in relief. 

 

“Mal? Why are you in the box?” Coco asks, befuddled. 

 

“They put me in here. Help me out.” Mallory raises her arms, and Coco lifts her up and out. 

 

“Ugh,” Coco groans. “I finished my box, but I just keep thinking how lonely it will be without Mallory in my room. It’s going to suck.”

 

“Well, you still have me!” Misty flashes a smile.

 

Coco steps back, almost repulsed by that reminder. 

 

“Yeah, like I said, it’s going to suck.”

 

Cordelia rolls her eyes and uses some packing tape to seal a box. She grabs a marker and writes “donation” on the top before capping it and standing up to face Coco.

 

“We’ve talked about this, and I’m not changing my mind. Things will work out and you will live. Learn to live with it,” says Cordelia. “Now, I have to start lunch. Then we can start cleaning up.” 

 

Coco and Mallory exchange and look of disappointment. 

 

+++

 

Teaming Mallory and Madison up to do a simple task like cleaning windows makes Cordelia regret her entire life. When she checks on the girls, she finds Madison pinning poor little Mallory up against the large window of the ancestral room so her face is smushed against the glass. 

 

“Clean it, bitch! How’s that dog slobber for you? Huh?!” Madison snarls. 

 

“Madison, no!” Cordelia shouts. 

 

The supreme flicks her wrist and sends Madison flying, effectively releasing Mallory, who drops to her knees and gasps for breath. Cordelia helps her up and wipes her teary face before turning to Madison, who’s now crawled away from her superior. 

 

“Get up,” Cordelia snaps at the small blonde witch at her feet. 

 

Madison stands up, trembling. Cordelia snatches her by the collar of her shirt and pulls her close. 

 

“Why were you doing that? Why did you pin her up against the window?” Cordelia asks calmly, eyes staring into her soul as magic flows into her, willing her to be truthful. 

 

“I-I. . .just wanted to,” Madison states meekly. “She was annoying me. And I’m angry that she’s sharing a room with me and Zoe, so I took it out on her.”

 

“Mhm,” Cordelia says, releasing her. “Go sit in the kitchen. I’ll finish up here since I can’t trust you to be alone with her.” 

 

Madison hangs her head and leaves the room, leaving Cordelia and Mallory alone. After making sure Mallory is okay and not suffering any long lasting injuries, Cordelia dunks a cloth in soapy water and continues washing the windows, with the young witch’s help. 

 

“She’s going to kill me,” Mallory mumbles while scrubbing a panel. “Can I please stay with Coco? I’m not asking because she’s my best friend, I’m asking because I don’t want Madison to kill me.”

 

“Give her time. Madison wasn’t always this way. She’s a sweetheart deep down,” Cordelia says. “I’m not moving anybody for three months after the school year begins, so you’re just going to have to wait this one out. Okay?”

 

Mallory sighs and murmurs, “Okay.”

 

+++

 

When night falls, the house is almost clean enough to eat off the floor. Cordelia inspects every inch of every surface with her finger, inspecting for dust and dirt. Zoe, who’s holding a Swiffer duster, smiles proudly at her handiwork of cleaning up their den to hospital grade. 

 

“Well? How do you like it?” Zoe asks. “I cleaned all the bathrooms with Coco’s help, Queenie vacuumed, and then I put some finishing touches on the dusting after Misty so nobody has an allergy attack.” 

 

Cordelia looks at her finger and smiles in approval. 

 

“Good work, Zoe,” Cordelia says, rubbing her head. “All of you did good, even Madison, although she’s in some trouble right now.”

 

Zoe falters, sighing and sitting down on the couch. Cordelia sits next to her and pats her leg, sensing that something isn’t right with Zoe.

 

“I want to say that I understand how she feels,” Zoe says, “I do like privacy and this whole Mallory thing is going to be hard. But the way she handled her emotions. . .I don’t like it. She can’t take her anger out on everybody and everything she sees because she’s mad. I know it’s hard for her to filter and understand her emotions, but she can’t act like that.”

 

“I can’t be peacemaker all the time, Zoe. And you know I can’t play mother to thirty girls. I’m not perfect. It’s hard to manage a coven, a council, a house, and a personal life. That’s why I try to move things around to see if it will work out better on its own,” Cordelia says. “Madison needs to learn to work on dealing with things she doesn’t like. She can’t have her way. It’s an adjustment for everybody. But I can’t make her, and I certainly can’t be there to constantly get on her to behave. She’s grown and needs to take responsibility.”

 

“I’ll try to help,” Zoe says softly, playing with the duster. “I know she’s a brat, but I’ll keep trying to help her learn how to process her emotions so they don’t hurt her or make her hurt someone else.”

 

Cordelia brings Zoe close and gently and slowly rubs her back. 

 

“Good. You know, she wasn’t always this way,” Cordelia says. 

 

Zoe’s brows furrow. “What?”

 

“When she first arrived at the academy, Madison was the sweetest girl I ever met. Yes, she was a little difficult like all teenagers, but I had just pulled her from her last rehab stint and she was struggling to control herself after the incident with the director. But she was so—so fragile and needy. She had to be in my presence, or she felt scared and lonely. She would get angry at herself—never anyone else—if something went wrong or she couldn’t learn something as fast as I wanted her to. And she was otherwise quiet and minded herself, except for when she wasn’t feeling good. She just wanted affection,” Cordelia explains, smiling fondly at the memory of young, innocent, confused Madison. “And then, about six months into her boarding, she started getting mouthy. This was about the time I found Queenie. Madison would tell me to shut up when she was upset or frustrated, and then she took up smoking again. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe I wasn’t enough for her. I wasn’t enough to handle her.”

 

“Nobody is enough to handle her,” Zoe mumbles. “It’s not your fault. That’s just who she is. And I’m trying to handle it the best I can without losing my own head.”

 

Cordelia chuckles almost ominously, and it frightens Zoe and sends a shiver down her spine. 

 

“Now that’s the biggest challenge you’ll ever face,” Cordelia says. “I just want you to know when she’s being a real bitch and when she’s only acting like one to suppress a feeling or get attention. There’s a difference.”

 

“I still love her all the same,” Zoe states quickly, and she covers her mouth just as fast, eyes wide. “Did I really say that?”

 

Cordelia laughs, amused. “Yes. You did.”

 

“Fuck.”

 

+++

 

The night before the witches are due back to the academy, at two in the morning, Cordelia roams the house, anxiously awaiting sunrise. She prepares herself some tea and waits for the kettle to whistle, and while she’s leaned up against the counter, she notices a faint yellow light on in the den.

 

Knowing no one should be awake this late, she ponders two possibilities: someone is sick, or someone is disobeying her rules. Either way, it’s concerning, and she ties her robe and carefully pads into the room. 

 

At first, she can’t see much with the single light of a lantern casting across the entire span of the large room, but then, as she walks in further, she sees a small figure sitting on the floor in the corner. The dollhouse is open—after she’d closed it when she was cleaning—and someone is sitting before it.

 

Cordelia picks up the lantern and brings it forward, only to find Madison sitting there, two dolls in hand. The younger woman gasps in surprise and whips her head around, frantically hiding the dolls. Cordelia just smiles, sets the lantern down, and leaves the room, shutting the door behind herself. 


End file.
